Brassinosteroids

Article By:

Clouse, Steven D. Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Last reviewed:October 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.900117

A group of steroidal plant hormones, typified by the compound brassinolide, that produce effects on plant growth and development. Plant hormones are naturally occurring organic molecules that regulate multiple aspects of plant growth and development at concentrations much lower than nutrients and other metabolites. At least five classes of plant hormones, including auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins (GAs), ethylene, and abscisic acid (ABA), have been characterized and studied in detail for many decades with respect to their occurrence and biosynthesis in plants, their molecular mechanisms of action, and the resulting alterations in cellular structure and function that lead to defined physiological responses to each hormone. More recently, a sixth class of plant hormones, brassinosteroids (BRs), has been added to the list of essential regulators of plant growth and development. See also: Abscisic acid; Auxin; Cytokinins; Ethylene (plant physiology); Gibberellins; Plant development; Plant growth; Plant hormones; Steroid

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