Strigolactones (SLs) are a class of plant hormones and rhizosphere communication signals of great interest. They perform diverse biological functions including the stimulation of parasitic seed germination and phytohormonal activity. However, their practical use is limited by their low abundance and complex structure, which requires simpler SL analogues and mimics with maintained biological function. Here, new, hybrid-type SL mimics were designed, derived from Cinnamic amide, a new potential plant growth regulator with good germination and rooting-promoting activities. Bioassay results indicated that compound 6 not only displayed good germination activity against the parasitic weed O. aegyptiaca with an EC50 value of 2.36 × 10-8 M, but also exhibited significant inhibitory activity against Arabidopsis root growth and lateral root formation, as well as promoting root hair elongation, similar to the action of GR24. Further morphological experiments on Arabidopsis max2-1 mutants revealed that 6 possessed SL-like physiological functions. Furthermore, molecular docking studies indicated that the binding mode of 6 was similar to that of GR24 in the active site of OsD14. This work provides valuable clues for the discovery of novel SL mimics.
Keywords: cinnamic amide; lateral root formation; molecular docking; root growth; root hair elongation; seed germination; strigolactones.