The current status of physiology and biochemistry of brassinosteroids

Brassinolide, first isolated from pollen of rape as a plant growth promoting substance, has been found to be widely distributed in the plant kingdom. Over thirty endogenous analogues, called collectively brassinosteroids, have been isolated and identified. As a new class of plant hormones, brassinosteroids show not only growth promoting activity but also other physiological effects on the growth and development of plants and draw attention as promising chemicals for practical application in agriculture. This review describes the current status of the studies on the natural occurrence, analysis, physiological actions, metabolism and biosynthesis of brassinosteroids.Abbreviations ABA abscisis acid - BR brassinosteroid - GA gibberellin - GC-MS combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry - GC-SIM combined gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - IAA indole-3-acetic acid