Evolution of interorganismal strigolactone biosynthesis in seed plants
Strigolactones (SLs) are methylbutenolide molecules derived from β-carotene through an intermediate carlactonoic acid (CLA). Canonical SLs act as signals to microbes and plants, whereas noncanonical SLs are primarily plant hormones. The cytochrome P450 CYP722C catalyzes a critical step, converting CLA to canonical SLs in most angiosperms. Using synthetic biology, we investigated the function of <i>CYP722A</i>, an evolutionary predecessor of <i>CYP722C</i>. CYP722A converts CLA into 16-hydroxy-CLA (16-OH-CLA), a noncanonical SL detected exclusively in the shoots of various flowering plants. 16-OH-CLA application restores control of shoot branching to SL-deficient mutants in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> and is perceived by the SL signaling pathway. We hypothesize that biosynthesis of 16-OH-CLA by CYP722A was a metabolic stepping stone in the evolution of canonical SLs that mediate rhizospheric signaling in many flowering plants.
Authors
- Nitzan Shabek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2190-5955)
- Kaibiao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8455-8137)
- Sheng Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8748-900X)
- David C. Nelson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9792-5015)
- Kaori Yoneyama (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3965-1647)
- Yanran Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8709-3497)
- Malathy Palayam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7031-947X)
- Xiaonan Xie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-7240)
- M. F. Santiago
- Anqi Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1288-4231)
- Yuki Ishiguro
- Annalise Kane (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5085-296X)
Institutions
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Utsunomiya University (JP)
- University of California System (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
- Saitama University (JP)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2025-01-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp0779
- Citations
- 24
- Primary Topic
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 42.00