Open AccessThe Current Status of Research on Gibberellin Biosynthesis
Author(s) -
Peter Hedden
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plant and cell physiology/plant and cell physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.975
H-Index - 152
eISSN - 1471-9053
pISSN - 0032-0781
DOI - 10.1093/pcp/pcaa092
Subject(s) - gibberellin , biology , biosynthesis , gibberellic acid , plant hormone , gene , function (biology) , biochemistry , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , germination
Gibberellins are produced by all vascular plants and several fungal and bacterial species that associate with plants as pathogens or symbionts. In the 60 years since the first experiments on the biosynthesis of gibberellic acid in the fungus Fusarium fujikuroi, research on gibberellin biosynthesis has advanced to provide detailed information on the pathways, biosynthetic enzymes and their genes in all three kingdoms, in which the production of the hormones evolved independently. Gibberellins function as hormones in plants, affecting growth and differentiation in organs in which their concentration is very tightly regulated. Current research in plants is focused particularly on the regulation of gibberellin biosynthesis and inactivation by developmental and environmental cues, and there is now considerable information on the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. There have also been recent advances in understanding gibberellin transport and distribution and their relevance to plant development. This review describes our current understanding of gibberellin metabolism and its regulation, highlighting the more recent advances in this field.