engleski

Molecular aspects of plant life: do we understand the activity of the essential plant hormone, auxin (indol-3-ylacetic acid) at the molecular level?

The plant hormone, auxin, regulates plant growth, morphogenesis, and reproduction, including processes as vital as the division and differentiation of every single cell. Synthetic auxin analogues are important agrochemicals used, for instance, as selective herbicides. More than a hundred years of extensive research on auxin have resulted in a wealth of data, yet incomplete understanding, owing to the unprecedented complexity of the topic. The enigma how plants respond to auxin remains to be resolved. This survey is focused on recent interdisciplinary approaches that are shedding new light on the role of auxin in the life cycle of a plant. The application of proteomics, the methods of molecular biology, new and advanced analytical methods, such as mass spectrometry, a variety of spectroscopic techniques including high resolution NMR, X-ray analysis using intense and micro-beam radiation sources along with recently designed high-sensitivity detectors, and molecular modelling supported by bioinformatics, in combination with classical techniques, such as kinetic measurements and bioassays, has already markedly contributed to progress in auxin research and is expected to play an even more significant role, in the future. The new insights acquired in this way exert a major impact on applied plant sciences, such as horticulture, agriculture, forestry, and ecology, thus demonstrating the power of biotechnology in designing optimal solutions for the exploitation of natural resources, with minimal disturbance of the environment.

plant hormone ; auxin ; plant physiology ; auxin binding proteins ; structural molecular biology

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