Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Production of Strigolactones by Arabidopsis thaliana responsible for Orobanche aegyptiaca seed germination

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Plant Growth Regulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The germination stimulants produced by Arabidopsis thaliana, a host of root parasitic plants Orobanche spp. but not of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were examined. Root exudates from the hydroponically grown A. thaliana plants were subjected to reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and retention times of germination stimulants inducing O. aegyptiaca seed germination were compared with those of strigolactone standards. In addition, the root exudates were analyzed by using HPLC linked with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). A. thaliana was found to exude at least three different germination stimulants of which one was identified as orobanchol. This is the first report of strigolactone production by a non-mycotrophic plant. These results together with recent knowledge imply that strigolactones have other unrevealed functions in plant growth and development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DAP:

Days after planting

EtOH:

Ethanol

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

LC/MS/MS:

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

MeOH:

Methanol

MRM:

Multiple reaction monitoring

References

  • Akiyama K, Hayashi H (2006) Strigolactones: chemical signals for fungal symbionts and parasitic weeds in plant roots. Ann Bot 97:925–931

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akiyama K, Matsuzaki K, Hayashi H (2005) Plant sesquiterpenes induce hyphal branching in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Nature 435:824–827

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Awad AA, Sato D, Kusumoto D, Kamioka H, Takeuchi Y, Yoneyama K (2006) Characterization of strigolactones, germination stimulants for the root parasitic plants Striga and Orobanche, produced by maize, millet and sorghum. Plant Growth Regul 48:221–227

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouwmeester HJ, Matusova R, Zhongkui S, Beale MH (2003) Secondary metabolite signalling in host–parasitic plant interactions. Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:358–364

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouwmeester HJ, Roux C, Lopez-Raez JA, Becard G (2007) Rhizosphere communication of plants, parasitic plants and AM fungi. Trends Plant Sci 12:224–230

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cook CE, Whichard LP, Turner B, Wall EM, Egley GH (1966) Germination of witchweed (Striga lutea Lour.): isolation and properties of a potent stimulant. Science 154:1189–1190

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cook CE, Whichard LP, Wall ME, Egley GH, Coggon P, Luhan PA, McPhail AT (1972) Germination stimulants. II. The structure of strigol – a potent seed germination stimulant for witchweed (Striga lutea Lour.). J Am Chem Soc 94:6198–6199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foy CL, Jain R, Jacobsohn R (1989) Recent approaches for chemical control of broomrape (Orobanche spp.). Rev Weed Sci 4:123–152

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldwasser Y, Plakhine D, Yoder JI (2000) Arabidopsis thaliana susceptibility to Orobanche spp. Weed Sci 48:342–346

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldwasser Y, Yoder JI (2001) Differential induction of Orobanche seed germination by Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Sci 160:951–959

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goldwasser Y, Westwood JH, Yoder JI (2002) The use of Arabidopsis to study interactions between parasitic angiosperms and their plant hosts. In: Somerville CR, Meyerowitz EM (eds) The Arabidopsis book. American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, MD, doi:10.1199/tab.0009, http://www.aspb.org/publications/arabidopsis

  • Hauck C, Müller S, Schildknecht H (1992) A germination stimulant for parasitic flowering plants from Sorghum bicolor, a genuine host plant. J Plant Physiol 139:474–478

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Humphrey AJ, Beale MH (2006) Strigol: Biogenesis and physiological activity. Phytochemistry 67:636–640

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuura H, Ohashi K, Sasako H, Tagawa N, Takano Y, Ioka Y, Nabeta K, Yoshihara T (2008) Germination stimulants from root exudates of Vigna unguiculata. Plant Growth Regul 54:31–36

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Müller S, Hauck C, Schildknecht H (1992) Germination stimulants produced by Vigna unguiculata Walp cv Saunders Upright. J Plant Growth Regul 11:77–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker C, Riches CR (1993) Parasitic weeds of the world: biology and control. CAB International, Wallingford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Sato D, Awad AA, Chae SH, Yokota T, Sugimoto Y, Takeuchi Y, Yoneyama K (2003) Analysis of strigolactones, germination stimulants for Striga and Orobanche, by high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. J Agric Food Chem 51:1162–1168

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sato D, Awad AA, Takeuchi Y, Yoneyama K (2005) Confirmation and quantification of strigolactones, germination stimulants for root parasitic plants Striga and Orobanche, produced by cotton. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 69:98–102

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siame BA, Weerasuriya Y, Wood K, Ejeta G, Butler B (1993) Isolation of strigol, a germination stimulant for Striga asiatica from host plants. J Agric Food Chem 41:1486–1491

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tadano T, Tanaka A (1980) The effect of low phosphate concentrations in culture medium on early growth of several crop plants (In Japanese, translated by the authors). Jpn J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 51:399–404

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toda T, Koyama H, Hara T (1999) A simple hydroponic culture method for the development of a highly viable root system in Arabidopsis thaliana. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 63:210–212

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Westwood JH (2000) Characterization of the Orobanche-Arabidopsis system for studying parasite-host interactions. Weed Sci 48:742–748

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie X, Kusumoto D, Takeuchi Y, Yoneyama K, Yamada Y, Yoneyama K (2007) 2′-Epi-orobanchol and solanacol, two unique strigolactones, germination stimulants for root parasitic weeds, produced by tobacco. J Agric Food Chem 55:8067–8072

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xie X, Yoneyama K, Kusumoto D, Yamada Y, Yokota T, Takeuchi Y, Yoneyama K (2008) Isolation and identification of alectrol as (+)-orobanchyl acetate, a novel germination stimulant for root parasitic plants. Phytochemistry 69:427–431

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yokota T, Sakai H, Okuno K, Yoneyama K, Takeuchi Y (1998) Alectrol and orobanchol, germination stimulants for Orobanche minor, from its host red clover. Phytochemistry 49:1967–1973

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoneyama K, Sato D, Takeuchi Y, Sekimoto H, Yokota T, Sassa T (2006) Search for germination stimulants and inhibitors for root parasitic weeds. In: Duke SO, Rimando A (eds) Natural products for pest management. American Chemical Society, Washington DC, USA, pp 88–98

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Emeritus Prof. Kenji Mori (The University of Tokyo), Prof. Yukihiro Sugimoto (Kobe University) and Prof. Kohki Akiyama (Osaka Prefecture University) for their generous gifts of strigolactone standards. This study was supported by the JSPS Invitation Fellowship for Research in Japan to Y. G. and by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (1820810) to K. Y. from Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. R.H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences & Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, 76100, Israel

    Yaakov Goldwasser

  2. Weed Science Centre, Utsunomiya University, Utsunomiya, 321-8505, Japan

    Kaori Yoneyama, Xiaonan Xie & Koichi Yoneyama

Authors
  1. Yaakov Goldwasser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kaori Yoneyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xiaonan Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Koichi Yoneyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yaakov Goldwasser.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goldwasser, Y., Yoneyama, K., Xie, X. et al. Production of Strigolactones by Arabidopsis thaliana responsible for Orobanche aegyptiaca seed germination. Plant Growth Regul 55, 21–28 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-008-9253-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-008-9253-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation