Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun. 2011, 76, 1669-1686
https://doi.org/10.1135/cccc2011098
Published online 2012-01-09 11:51:17

Gibberellins – terpenoid plant hormones: Biological importance and chemical analysis

Terezie Urbanováa, Danuše Tarkowskáa,*, Miroslav Strnada,b and Peter Heddenc

a Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Sciences, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Šlechtitelů 11, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic
b Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Šlechtitelů 11, 783 71 Olomouc, Czech Republic
c Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ, UK

Abstract

Gibberellins (GAs) are a large group of diterpenoid carboxylic acids, some members of which function as plant hormones controlling diverse aspects of growth and development. Biochemical, genetic, and genomic approaches have led to the identification of the majority of the genes that encode GA biosynthesis and deactivation enzymes. Recent studies have shown that both GA biosynthesis and deactivation pathways are tightly regulated by developmental, hormonal, and environmental signals, consistent with the role of GAs as key growth regulators. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the GA biosynthesis and deactivation pathways in plants and fungi, and discuss methods for their qualitative and quantitative analysis. The challenges for their extraction and purification from plant tissues, which form complex matrices containing thousands of interfering substances, are discussed.

Keywords: Gibberellins; Biosynthesis; Signaling; Profiling; Extraction; Purification; Mass spectrometry; Liquid chromatography.

References: 68 live references.