Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal phytohormones that are essential for plant growth, development and adaptation to environmental stresses. BRs act in a dose-dependent manner and do not travel over long distances; hence, BR homeostasis maintenance is critical for their function. Biosynthesis of bioactive BRs relies on the cell-to-cell movement of hormone precursors. However, the mechanism of the short-distance BR transport is unknown, and its contribution to the control of endogenous BR levels remains unexplored. Here we demonstrate that plasmodesmata (PD) mediate the passage of BRs between neighboring cells. Intracellular BR content, in turn, is capable of modulating PD permeability to optimize its own mobility, thereby manipulating BR biosynthesis and signaling. Our work uncovers a thus far unknown mode of steroid transport in eukaryotes and exposes an additional layer of BR homeostasis regulation in plants.

• MeSH
• Brassinosteroids * MeSH
• Hormones MeSH
• Plasmodesmata metabolism   MeSH
• Arabidopsis Proteins * metabolism   MeSH
• Gene Expression Regulation, Plant MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH
• Plants metabolism   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Brassinosteroids * MeSH
• Hormones MeSH
• Arabidopsis Proteins * MeSH
• Plant Growth Regulators MeSH

We showed that wild pea seeds contained a more diverse combination of bioactive GAs and had higher ABA content than domesticated peas. Although the role of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) interplay has been extensively studied in Arabidopsis and cereals models, comparatively little is known about the effect of domestication on the level of phytohormones in legume seeds. In legumes, as in other crops, seed dormancy has been largely or entirely removed during domestication. In this study, we have measured the endogenous levels of ABA and GAs comparatively between wild and domesticated pea seeds during their development. We have shown that wild seeds contained more ABA than domesticated ones, which could be important for preparing the seeds for the period of dormancy. ABA was catabolised particularly by an 8´-hydroxylation pathway, and dihydrophaseic acid was the main catabolite in seed coats as well as embryos. Besides, the seed coats of wild and pigmented cultivated genotypes were characterised by a broader spectrum of bioactive GAs compared to non-pigmented domesticated seeds. GAs in both seed coat and embryo were synthesized mainly by a 13-hydroxylation pathway, with GA29 being the most abundant in the seed coat and GA20 in the embryos. Measuring seed water content and water loss indicated domesticated pea seeds´ desiccation was slower than that of wild pea seeds. Altogether, we showed that pea domestication led to a change in bioactive GA composition and a lower ABA content during seed development.

• Keywords
• Desiccation, Legume, Maturation, Phytohormones, Pigmentation, Seed-coat,
• MeSH
• Arabidopsis * genetics   MeSH
• Domestication MeSH
• Gibberellins metabolism   MeSH
• Pisum sativum genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Germination MeSH
• Abscisic Acid * metabolism   MeSH
• Seeds MeSH
• Plant Dormancy genetics   MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Gibberellins MeSH
• Abscisic Acid * MeSH

As a result of the findings of scientists working on the biosynthesis and metabolism of steroids in the plant and animal kingdoms over the past five decades, it has become apparent that those compounds that naturally occur in animals can also be found as natural constituents of plants and vice versa, i.e., they have essentially the same fate in the majority of living organisms. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on the occurrence of animal steroid hormones in the plant kingdom, particularly focusing on progesterone, testosterone, androstadienedione (boldione), androstenedione, and estrogens.

• Keywords
• androstenedione, animals, boldenone, boldione, estrogens, natural sterols, plants, progesterone, steroid hormones, testosterone,
• MeSH
• Androstadienes metabolism   MeSH
• Androstenedione biosynthesis   MeSH
• Biosynthetic Pathways MeSH
• Estrogens biosynthesis   MeSH
• Phytosterols metabolism   MeSH
• Progesterone biosynthesis   MeSH
• Plants metabolism   MeSH
• Steroids biosynthesis   MeSH
• Testosterone biosynthesis   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Androstadienes MeSH
• Androstenedione MeSH
• Estrogens MeSH
• Phytosterols MeSH
• Progesterone MeSH
• Steroids MeSH
• Testosterone MeSH