What is it about?
It has been sporadically noted in the past that in some plant species, a defect in the biosynthesis or perception of the phytohormones strigolactones can cause reproductive problems, but what are the underlying reasons? We investigated what changes (molecular, reproductive) altered strigolactone levels bring about in tomato as a model species.
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Why is it important?
Our main findings are a) that strigolactones promote tomato flowering and b) that their effects are funneled through one specific branch within the known molecular regulatory network of flowering, the miR319-LANCEOLATE module, and lower gibberellin levels. Thus, our study opens novel opportunities to manage fruiting time and total yield for this crop, and possibly also other crops that show similar phenotypes, such as potato.
Perspectives
From a scientific point of view, I found both challenging and rewarding having to bridge my previous expertise on strigolactone biology and the intricacy of flowering regulation. From a personal point of view, I enjoyed the new collaborations that were started to meet the reviewers' requests, and that will hopefully continue in the future.
Francesca Cardinale
University of Turin
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Strigolactones promote flowering by inducing the miR319-
LA
-
SFT
module in tomato, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316371121.
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