High throughput selection of novel plant growth regulators: Assessingthe translatability of small bioactive molecules from Arabidopsis tocrops

Abstract

tPlant growth regulators (PGRs) have become an integral part of agricultural and horticultural practices.Accordingly, there is an increased demand for new and cost-effective products. Nevertheless, the marketis limited by insufficient innovation. In this context chemical genomics has gained increasing attentionas a powerful approach addressing specific traits. Here is described the successful implementation of ahighly specific, sensitive and efficient high throughput screening approach using Arabidopsis as a model.Using a combination of techniques, 10,000 diverse compounds were screened and evaluated for severalimportant plant growth traits including root and leaf growth. The phenotype-based selection allowedthe compilation of a collection of putative Arabidopsis growth regulators with a broad range of activitiesand specificities. A subset was selected for evaluating their bioactivity in agronomically valuable plants.Their validation as growth regulators in commercial species such as tomato, lettuce, carrot, maize andturfgrasses reinforced the success of the screening in Arabidopsis and indicated that small moleculesactivity can be efficiently translated to commercial species. Therefore, the chemical genomics approachin Arabidopsis is a promising field that can be incorporated in PGR discovery programs and has a greatpotential to develop new products that can be efficiently used in crops.