Frontiers | Masks Start to Drop: Suppressor of MAX2 1-Like Proteins Reveal Their Many Faces
Although the main players of the strigolactone (SL) signaling pathway have been characterized genetically, how they regulate plant development is still poorly understood. Of central importance are the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1-LIKE (SMXL) proteins that belong to a family of eight members in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, of which one subclade is involved in SL signaling and another one in the pathway of the chemically related karrikins. Through proteasomal degradation of these SMXLs, triggered by DWARF14 (D14) and KARRAKIN INSENSITIVE2 (KAI2), respectively, several physiological processes are con...