Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway and biological roles of strigolactones in maize and rice

Strigolactones (SLs) are a class of plant signaling molecules, with diversified structures and a range of biological roles inside the plant and outside in the rhizosphere. Firstly, the discovery and biological functions of SLs, their production, regulation, perception and downstream signaling are reviewed. Subsequently, several approaches, including co-expression analysis, heterologous expression, and metabolite analysis, were used to find and functionally characterize new SL biosynthetic genes, identify new SLs, and elucidate the intricate biosynthetic pathways of SLs in maize and rice. A method for SL production in Nicotiana benthamiana using agroinfiltration was optimized. Finally, the scientific merits of this work - it lays the foundation for further investigation of the intricate functions of the multitude of different SLs in plants - and possible applications are discussed.