High-throughput screening uncovers novel compounds that can activate strigolactone receptors in Arabidopsis thaliana and Striga hermonthica

Strigolactones (SLs) are a new collection of small molecule hormones that control shoot and root architecture in vascular plants. Unfortunately, SLs have been co-opted as a germination cue enabling parasitic plants of the genus Striga to coordinate their life cycles with their host plants. In sub-Saharan Africa, Striga has infested up to two- thirds of the arable land. A high-throughput chemical screen (HTS) could identify potent and inexpensive SL mimics that could be used to combat Striga infestation. I have developed a germination assay using transgenic Arabidopsis ShHTL7 seeds for HTS of SL agonists and screened 4182 chemical compounds. Five lead compounds were identified that germinate this line. Of these five leads one compound, which I later named Subhatrene (SAT) was found to act through the DWARF14-LIKE2 (DLK2) α/β hydrolase. Little is known about the function of DLK2 in plants but my results suggest this gene has roles in seed germination.M.Sc