Do cytokinins function as two-way signals between plants and animals? Cytokinins may not only mediate defence reactions via secondary compounds, but may directly interfere with developmental signals in insects

Abstract

Cytokinins are plant hormones that have, among many other functions, senescence-modulatory effects in plant tissue. This is evident not only from biochemical data, but is vividly illustrated in the "green island" phenotype in plant leaves caused by cytokinins released for example by leaf mining insects or microbial pathogens. It is beyond doubt that, in addition to their roles in plants, cytokinins also provoke physiological and developmental effects in animals. It is hypothesized that the recently much discussed modification of plant metabolism by insects and associated microbes via cytokinin signals has a counterpart in direct cytokinin signalling that interferes with the animals' hormonal systems and impacts their population dynamics.

Keywords: cytokinins; developmental signals; inter-kingdom communication; plant hormones; plant-animal interaction.