A femtomolar-range suicide germination stimulant for the parasitic plant striga hermonthica

Daisuke Uraguchi; Keiko Kuwata; Yuh Hijikata; Rie Yamaguchi; Hanae Imaizumi; A. M. Sathiyanarayanan; Christin Rakers; Narumi Mori; Kohki Akiyama; Stephan Irle; Peter McCourt; Toshinori Kinoshita; Takashi Ooi; Yuichiro Tsuchiya

doi:10.1126/science.aau5445

A femtomolar-range suicide germination stimulant for the parasitic plant striga hermonthica

Daisuke Uraguchi, Keiko Kuwata, Yuh Hijikata, Rie Yamaguchi, Hanae Imaizumi, A. M. Sathiyanarayanan, Christin Rakers, Narumi Mori, Kohki Akiyama, Stephan Irle, Peter McCourt, Toshinori Kinoshita, Takashi Ooi, Yuichiro Tsuchiya

Computational Chemistry and Nanomaterial

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

94 Scopus citations

Abstract

The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica has been causing devastating damage to the crop production in Africa. Because Striga requires host-generated strigolactones to germinate, the identification of selective and potent strigolactone agonists could help control these noxious weeds. We developed a selective agonist, sphynolactone-7, a hybrid molecule originated from chemical screening, that contains two functional modules derived from a synthetic scaffold and a core component of strigolactones. Cooperative action of these modules in the activation of a high-affinity strigolactone receptor ShHTL7 allows sphynolactone-7 to provoke Striga germination with potency in the femtomolar range. We demonstrate that sphynolactone-7 is effective for reducing Striga parasitism without impinging on host strigolactone-related processes.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1301-1305
Number of pages	5
Journal	Science
Volume	362
Issue number	6420
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau5445
State	Published - Dec 14 2018

Funding

Funders	Funder number
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science	17J05519

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1126/science.aau5445

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title = "A femtomolar-range suicide germination stimulant for the parasitic plant striga hermonthica",

abstract = "The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica has been causing devastating damage to the crop production in Africa. Because Striga requires host-generated strigolactones to germinate, the identification of selective and potent strigolactone agonists could help control these noxious weeds. We developed a selective agonist, sphynolactone-7, a hybrid molecule originated from chemical screening, that contains two functional modules derived from a synthetic scaffold and a core component of strigolactones. Cooperative action of these modules in the activation of a high-affinity strigolactone receptor ShHTL7 allows sphynolactone-7 to provoke Striga germination with potency in the femtomolar range. We demonstrate that sphynolactone-7 is effective for reducing Striga parasitism without impinging on host strigolactone-related processes.",

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note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 The Authors.",

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doi = "10.1126/science.aau5445",

language = "English",

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T1 - A femtomolar-range suicide germination stimulant for the parasitic plant striga hermonthica

AU - Uraguchi, Daisuke

AU - Kuwata, Keiko

AU - Hijikata, Yuh

AU - Yamaguchi, Rie

AU - Imaizumi, Hanae

AU - Sathiyanarayanan, A. M.

AU - Rakers, Christin

AU - Mori, Narumi

AU - Akiyama, Kohki

AU - Irle, Stephan

AU - McCourt, Peter

AU - Kinoshita, Toshinori

AU - Ooi, Takashi

AU - Tsuchiya, Yuichiro

PY - 2018/12/14

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AB - The parasitic plant Striga hermonthica has been causing devastating damage to the crop production in Africa. Because Striga requires host-generated strigolactones to germinate, the identification of selective and potent strigolactone agonists could help control these noxious weeds. We developed a selective agonist, sphynolactone-7, a hybrid molecule originated from chemical screening, that contains two functional modules derived from a synthetic scaffold and a core component of strigolactones. Cooperative action of these modules in the activation of a high-affinity strigolactone receptor ShHTL7 allows sphynolactone-7 to provoke Striga germination with potency in the femtomolar range. We demonstrate that sphynolactone-7 is effective for reducing Striga parasitism without impinging on host strigolactone-related processes.

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VL - 362

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EP - 1305

JO - Science

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ER -

A femtomolar-range suicide germination stimulant for the parasitic plant striga hermonthica

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

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