Progestogens and androgens are steroids found in a wide range of plants, but little is known about their physiological functions. In this study, we sowed seeds of angiosperms on progestogen- and androgen-containing medium and analysed their morphological effects. We further investigated the effects of progesterone and testosterone on brassinosteroid profiles and gene expression in A. thaliana. Additionally, we examined the effects of progesterone and testosterone on A. thaliana plants overexpressing the steroid 5α-reductase DET2. We found that progestogens and androgens have strong negative effects on root length, especially in Brassicaceae species. In addition, these steroids led to uncoordinated cell growth and increased lateral root formation. We failed to detect an effect on endogenous brassinosteroid levels and gene expression of brassinosteroid-regulated genes. The overexpression of DET2 led to increased root growth, but the effects of progesterone and testosterone were not reduced. We conclude that progestogens and androgens act in a brassinosteroid-independent manner. This suggests that progestogens and androgens could represent a potential new class of plant steroid signalling molecules.

• Keywords
• Arabidopsis thaliana, DET2, androgens, brassinosteroids, phytohormones, progestogens, root development, signalling molecules,
• MeSH
• Androgens * metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Arabidopsis * genetics   growth & development   drug effects   metabolism   MeSH
• Brassinosteroids * metabolism   MeSH
• Plants, Genetically Modified MeSH
• Plant Roots * growth & development   drug effects   anatomy & histology   genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Magnoliopsida * genetics   growth & development   drug effects   metabolism   MeSH
• Progesterone pharmacology   metabolism   MeSH
• Progestins * metabolism   pharmacology   MeSH
• Arabidopsis Proteins metabolism   genetics   MeSH
• Gene Expression Regulation, Plant drug effects   MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators * metabolism   MeSH
• Seeds growth & development   drug effects   genetics   MeSH
• Testosterone pharmacology   metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Androgens * MeSH
• Brassinosteroids * MeSH
• Progesterone MeSH
• Progestins * MeSH
• Arabidopsis Proteins MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators * MeSH
• Testosterone MeSH

Pregnane derivatives such as pregnenolone or progesterone and many other metabolites are important in mammals where many of them act as hormones including sexual hormones. Much less is known about the presence and functions of pregnane derivatives in plants. The main objectives of this work were (1) to determine the presence of pregnane derivatives in winter wheat (2) verify if there are changes of concentration of pregnane derivatives during wheat growth/development with special attention to vernalisation process (3) to answer the question of whether selected pregnane derivatives are stimulators of wheat development and whether the potential stimulation of this development is accompanied by the expression of the Vrn1 (Vernalisation1) gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the presence of pregnenolone and 5α-dihydroprogesterone in the leaves and intact crowns of winter wheat. The levels of some of the pregnane derivatives changed during plant growth/development, it was demonstrated that pregnenolone, pregnanolone and 17α-hydroxypregnenolone stimulated wheat development. The changes in the Vrn1 expression are discussed in light of the stimulation of generative development by the pregnane derivatives.

• Keywords
• Vrn1 expression, 5α-dihydroprogesterone, Cold, Pregnenolone, Vernalisation, Winter wheat,
• MeSH
• Plant Leaves metabolism   growth & development   chemistry   MeSH
• Pregnanes * metabolism   MeSH
• Triticum * growth & development   metabolism   genetics   chemistry   MeSH
• Gene Expression Regulation, Plant MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators metabolism   MeSH
• Plant Proteins metabolism   genetics   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Pregnanes * MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH
• Plant Proteins MeSH

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are plant steroidal hormones that play crucial roles in plant growth and development. Accurate quantification of BRs in plant tissues is essential for understanding their biological functions. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the latest methods used for the quantification of BRs in plants. We discuss the principles, advantages and limitations of various analytical techniques, including immunoassays, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry that are used for the detection and quantification of BRs from complex plant matrixes. We also explore the use of isotopically labeled internal standards to improve the accuracy and reliability of BR quantification.

• Keywords
• Brassinosteroids, Chemical synthesis, Chromatography, Immunoassays, Mass spectrometry, Quantification,
• MeSH
• Brassinosteroids * metabolism   analysis   MeSH
• Chromatography, Liquid methods   MeSH
• Immunoassay methods   MeSH
• Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods   MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators metabolism   analysis   MeSH
• Plants metabolism   chemistry   MeSH
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry methods   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids * MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH

The field of plant hormonomics focuses on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the hormone complement in plant samples, akin to other omics sciences. Plant hormones, alongside primary and secondary metabolites, govern vital processes throughout a plant's lifecycle. While active hormones have received significant attention, studying all related compounds provides valuable insights into internal processes. Conventional single-class plant hormone analysis employs thorough sample purification, short analysis and triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. Conversely, comprehensive hormonomics analysis necessitates minimal purification, robust and efficient separation and better-performing mass spectrometry instruments. This review summarizes the current status of plant hormone analysis methods, focusing on sample preparation, advances in chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection, including a discussion on internal standard selection and the potential of derivatization. Moreover, current approaches for assessing the spatiotemporal distribution are evaluated. The review touches on the legitimacy of the term plant hormonomics by exploring the current status of methods and outlining possible future trends.

• Keywords
• Hormonomics, Internal standard, Liquid chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Matrix effect, Metabolomics, Omics, Plant hormone, Solid phase extraction,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

Dioscorea is an important but underutilized genus of flowering plants that grows predominantly in tropical and subtropical regions. Several species, known as yam, develop large underground tubers and aerial bulbils that are used as food. The Chinese yam (D. polystachya Turcz.) is one of the few Dioscorea species that grows well in temperate regions and has been proposed as a climate-resilient crop to enhance food security in Europe. However, the fragile, club-like tubers are unsuitable for mechanical harvesting, which is facilitated by shorter and thicker storage organs. Brassinosteroids (BRs) play a key role in plant cell division, cell elongation and proliferation, as well as in the gravitropic response. We collected RNA-Seq data from the head, middle and tip of two tuber shape variants: F60 (long, thin) and F2000 (short, thick). Comparative transcriptome analysis of F60 vs. F2000 revealed 30,229 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 1,393 of which were differentially expressed in the growing tip. Several DEGs are involved in steroid/BR biosynthesis or signaling, or may be regulated by BRs. The quantification of endogenous BRs revealed higher levels of castasterone (CS), 28-norCS, 28-homoCS and brassinolide in F2000 compared to F60 tubers. The highest BR levels were detected in the growing tip, and CS was the most abundant (439.6 ± 196.41 pmol/g in F2000 and 365.6 ± 112.78 pmol/g in F60). Exogenous 24-epi-brassinolide (epi-BL) treatment (20 nM) in an aeroponic system significantly increased the width-to-length ratio (0.045 ± 0.002) compared to the mock-treated plants (0.03 ± 0.002) after 7 weeks, indicating that exogenous epi-BL produces shorter and thicker tubers. In this study we demonstrate the role of BRs in D. polystachya tuber shape, providing insight into the role of plant hormones in yam storage organ development. We found that BRs can influence tuber shape in Chinese yam by regulating the expression of genes involved cell expansion. Our data can help to improve the efficiency of Chinese yam cultivation, which could provide an alternative food source and thus contribute to future food security in Europe.

• Keywords
• Chinese yam, Dioscorea polystachya, brassinosteroids, plant hormones, tuber development,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The objective of this study was to answer the question of how the deacclimation process affects frost tolerance, photosynthetic efficiency, brassinosteroid (BR) homeostasis and BRI1 expression of winter oilseed rape. A comparative study was conducted on cultivars with different agronomic and physiological traits. The deacclimation process can occur when there are periods of higher temperatures, particularly in the late autumn or winter. This interrupts the process of the acclimation (hardening) of winter crops to low temperatures, thus reducing their frost tolerance and becoming a serious problem for agriculture. The experimental model included plants that were non-acclimated, cold acclimated (at 4 °C) and deacclimated (at 16 °C/9 °C, one week). We found that deacclimation tolerance (maintaining a high frost tolerance despite warm deacclimating periods) was a cultivar-dependent trait. Some of the cultivars developed a high frost tolerance after cold acclimation and maintained it after deacclimation. However, there were also cultivars that had a high frost tolerance after cold acclimation but lost some of it after deacclimation (the cultivars that were more susceptible to deacclimation). Deacclimation reversed the changes in the photosystem efficiency that had been induced by cold acclimation, and therefore, measuring the different signals associated with photosynthetic efficiency (based on prompt and delayed chlorophyll fluorescence) of plants could be a sensitive tool for monitoring the deacclimation process (and possible changes in frost tolerance) in oilseed rape. Higher levels of BR were characteristic of the better frost-tolerant cultivars in both the cold-acclimated and deacclimated plants. The relative expression of the BRI1 transcript (encoding the BR-receptor protein) was lower after cold acclimation and remained low in the more frost-tolerant cultivars after deacclimation. The role of brassinosteroids in oilseed rape acclimation/deacclimation is briefly discussed.

• Keywords
• brassinosteroid insensitive 1, brassinosteroids, dehardening, delayed chlorophyll fluorescence, frost tolerance, homocastasterone, photosystem I, photosystem II, prompt chlorophyll fluorescence, stress tolerance,
• MeSH
• Acclimatization physiology   MeSH
• Brassica napus * genetics   MeSH
• Brassinosteroids MeSH
• Photosynthesis MeSH
• Homeostasis MeSH
• Cold Temperature MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids MeSH

Agronomic breeding practices for grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) include the application of growth regulators in the field. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a family of sterol-derived plant hormones that regulate several physiological processes and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. In grapevine berries, the production of biologically active BRs, castasterone and 6-deoxocastasterone, has been reported. In this work, key BR genes were identified, and their expression profiles were determined in grapevine. Bioinformatic homology analyses of the Arabidopsis genome found 14 genes associated with biosynthetic, perception and signaling pathways, suggesting a partial conservation of these pathways between the two species. The tissue- and development-specific expression profiles of these genes were determined by qRT-PCR in nine different grapevine tissues. Using UHPLC-MS/MS, 10 different BR compounds were pinpointed and quantified in 20 different tissues, each presenting specific accumulation patterns. Although, in general, the expression profile of the biosynthesis pathway genes of BRs did not directly correlate with the accumulation of metabolites, this could reflect the complexity of the BR biosynthesis pathway and its regulation. The development of this work thus generates a contribution to our knowledge about the presence, and diversity of BRs in grapevines.

• Keywords
• UHPLC-MS/MS, brassinosteroids, development, grapevine,
• MeSH
• Arabidopsis * metabolism   MeSH
• Brassinosteroids * metabolism   MeSH
• Gene Expression Regulation, Plant MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Plant Breeding MeSH
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids * MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH

The objective of our study was to characterise the growth of tomato seedlings under various light spectra, but special attention has been paid to gaining a deeper insight into the details of photosynthetic light reactions. The following light combinations (generated by LEDs, constant light intensity at 300 μmol m-2 s-1) were used: blue/red light; blue/red light + far red; blue/red light + UV; white light that was supplemented with green, and white light that was supplemented with blue. Moreover, two combinations of white light for which the light intensity was changed by imitating the sunrise, sunset, and moon were also tested. The reference point was also light generated by high pressure sodium lamps (HPS). Plant growth/morphological parameters under various light conditions were only partly correlated with the photosynthetic efficiency of PSI and PSII. Illumination with blue/red as the main components had a negative effect on the functioning of PSII compared to the white light and HPS-generated light. On the other hand, the functioning of PSI was especially negatively affected under the blue/red light that was supplemented with FR. The FT-Raman studies showed that the general metabolic profile of the leaves (especially proteins and β-carotene) was similar in the plants that were grown under the HPS and under the LED-generated white light for which the light intensity changed during a day. The effect of various light conditions on the leaf hormonal balance (auxins, brassinosteroids) is also discussed.

• Keywords
• Solanum lycopersicum L., auxins, brassinosteroids, light spectral composition, photosynthesis, plant growth,
• MeSH
• Brassinosteroids metabolism   MeSH
• Chlorophyll metabolism   MeSH
• Photosynthesis * radiation effects   MeSH
• Photosystem I Protein Complex metabolism   radiation effects   MeSH
• Photosystem II Protein Complex metabolism   radiation effects   MeSH
• Indoleacetic Acids metabolism   MeSH
• Plant Leaves growth & development   metabolism   radiation effects   MeSH
• Metabolome MeSH
• Spectrum Analysis, Raman MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators metabolism   MeSH
• Seedlings growth & development   metabolism   radiation effects   MeSH
• Solanum lycopersicum growth & development   metabolism   radiation effects   MeSH
• Light MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids MeSH
• Chlorophyll MeSH
• Photosystem I Protein Complex MeSH
• Photosystem II Protein Complex MeSH
• Indoleacetic Acids MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH

Brassinosteroid (BR) hormones are indispensable for root growth and control both cell division and cell elongation through the establishment of an increasing signalling gradient along the longitudinal root axis. Because of their limited mobility, the importance of BR distribution in achieving a signalling maximum is largely overlooked. Expression pattern analysis of all known BR biosynthetic enzymes revealed that not all cells in the Arabidopsis thaliana root possess full biosynthetic machinery, and that completion of biosynthesis relies on cell-to-cell movement of hormone precursors. We demonstrate that BR biosynthesis is largely restricted to the root elongation zone, where it overlaps with BR signalling maxima. Moreover, optimal root growth requires hormone concentrations to be low in the meristem and high in the root elongation zone, attributable to increased biosynthesis. Our finding that spatiotemporal regulation of hormone synthesis results in local hormone accumulation provides a paradigm for hormone-driven organ growth in the absence of long-distance hormone transport in plants.

• MeSH
• Arabidopsis growth & development   metabolism   physiology   MeSH
• Brassinosteroids biosynthesis   metabolism   MeSH
• Plant Roots growth & development   metabolism   MeSH
• Meristem metabolism   MeSH
• Metabolic Networks and Pathways MeSH
• Gene Expression Regulation, Plant MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators metabolism   physiology   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH

Plants have developed various acclimation strategies in order to counteract the negative effects of abiotic stresses (including temperature stress), and biological membranes are important elements in these strategies. Brassinosteroids (BR) are plant steroid hormones that regulate plant growth and development and modulate their reaction against many environmental stresses including temperature stress, but their role in modifying the properties of the biological membrane is poorly known. In this paper, we characterise the molecular dynamics of chloroplast membranes that had been isolated from wild-type and a BR-deficient barley mutant that had been acclimated to low and high temperatures in order to enrich the knowledge about the role of BR as regulators of the dynamics of the photosynthetic membranes. The molecular dynamics of the membranes was investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in both a hydrophilic and hydrophobic area of the membranes. The content of BR was determined, and other important membrane components that affect their molecular dynamics such as chlorophylls, carotenoids and fatty acids in these membranes were also determined. The chloroplast membranes of the BR-mutant had a higher degree of rigidification than the membranes of the wild type. In the hydrophilic area, the most visible differences were observed in plants that had been grown at 20 °C, whereas in the hydrophobic core, they were visible at both 20 and 5 °C. There were no differences in the molecular dynamics of the studied membranes in the chloroplast membranes that had been isolated from plants that had been grown at 27 °C. The role of BR in regulating the molecular dynamics of the photosynthetic membranes will be discussed against the background of an analysis of the photosynthetic pigments and fatty acid composition in the chloroplasts.

• Keywords
• EPR, barley, brassinosteroids, chloroplast membranes, molecular dynamics, temperature stress,
• MeSH
• Acclimatization MeSH
• Brassinosteroids metabolism   MeSH
• Chloroplasts genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Photosynthesis MeSH
• Hordeum genetics   physiology   MeSH
• Mutation MeSH
• Cold-Shock Response MeSH
• Heat-Shock Response MeSH
• Molecular Dynamics Simulation MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids MeSH