Regulation of strigolactone biosynthesis by gibberellin signaling

In a screen for chemicals that regulate strigolactone (SL) levels in rice, Ito et al. found that gibberellins suppress SL biosynthesis. This effect depends on the gibberellin signaling module, and involve a decrease in expression level of SL-biosynthetic genes. Furthermore, GA treated rice exuded less SL into the soil, and Striga seed germination frequency was reduced as well as Striga parasitism. Thus, “tissue-specific modification of GA signaling can be used to control root parasitic weed infection.” Plant Physiol. 10.1104/pp.17.00301