New Strigolactone Mimics as Exogenous Signals for Rhizosphere Organisms

Abstract

The importance of strigolactones in plant biology prompted us to synthesize simplified strigolactone mimics effective as exogenous signals for rhizosphere organisms. New strigolactone mimics easily derived from simple and available starting materials in significant amounts were prepared and fully characterized. These compounds contain an aromatic or heterocyclic ring, usually present in various bioactive molecules, connected by an ether link to a furan-2-one moiety. The new synthesized strigolactone mimics were confirmed to be active on plant pathogenic fungi and parasitic weed seeds.

Methyl phenlactonoates are efficient strigolactone analogs with simple structure

“…Moreover, organic synthesis of natural SLs is challenging, due to their complex structures that contain several chiral centers ( Kgosi et al , 2012 ; Zwanenburg and Pospísil, 2013 ; Zwanenburg et al , 2016 a ). Hence, a prerequisite for implementing the suicidal germination approach outlined above is the availability of SLs or analogs/mimics that are easy to synthesize and that efficiently induce Striga seed germination ( Oancea et al , 2017 ; Dvorakova et al , 2017 ). SL analogs could also be used in agriculture and horticulture, for instance, to direct water and other resources in one major branch by suppressing branching or tillering, to induce secondary growth, to enhance abiotic stress tolerance or to modulate root architecture ( Li et al , 2016 ), by increasing primary root length ( Agusti et al , 2011 ; Ha et al , 2014 ).…”

Synthesis and Solvent Dependent Fluorescence of Some Piperidine-Substituted Naphthalimide Derivatives and Consequences for Water Sensing

“…Previously, we reported a new compound bearing a 1,8-naphthalimide ring, namely 2-(4-methyl-5-oxo-2,5-dihydro-furan-2-yloxy)-benzo[ de ]isoquinoline-1,3-dione, that proved to be active as a signaling molecule in the rhizosphere [ 40 ]. This bioactive molecule is part of a large group of synthetic compounds that mimic the different biological activities of naturally occurring strigolactones.…”

Effects of Strigolactone on Torreya grandis Gene Expression and Soil Microbial Community Structure Under Simulated Nitrogen Deposition

“…Differences in biosynthesis or transport of SLs can affect development of shoots in response to supply of N elements ( Cochetel et al, 2018 ). More than 25 natural strigolactones have been isolated from plant roots ( Oancea et al, 2017 ). The synthetic strigolactone analog GR24 is widely used to explore the biological role of SLs ( Umehara et al, 2008 ).…”