Phytohormone Analysis in Plant Development

Plant development is governed by a suite of phytohormones – small, bioactive molecules that coordinate processes from cell division and elongation to organ differentiation and stress adaptation. The central challenge of phytohormone analysis lies in their low endogenous concentrations, structural diversity and dynamic spatial distribution. Traditional extraction methods combined with chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection have enabled the simultaneous quantification of multiple hormone classes, yet they often require extensive sample preparation and large tissue samples. Advances in hydrophilic interaction chromatography and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry have improved sensitivity and throughput, allowing the profiling of dozens of analytes in minimal material. Complementarily, genetically encoded biosensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer have unlocked real-time, cell-specific monitoring of hormone concentrations, revealing the temporal and spatial subtleties of hormone signalling during development. These methodological innovations are elucidating the cross-talk between auxins, abscisic acid, cytokinins, gibberellins, jasmonates and salicylates, and are informing breeding strategies for enhanced growth, yield and stress resilience.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have employed next-generation FRET-based biosensors to capture high-resolution maps of abscisic acid dynamics under environmental stress, revealing that local and systemic ABA signalling coordinate root elongation in response to foliar humidity changes. A genetically encoded biosensor tailored for auxin detection has provided direct quantitative imaging of cellular auxin distribution, enabling real-time observation of rapid uptake, clearance and transport in living tissues. These tools have set a new standard for in vivo hormone quantification, delivering subcellular insight into the regulatory circuits that underpin organogenesis and adaptive growth responses.

Phytohormone Analysis in Plant Development publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phytohormone analysis in plant development across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phytohormone: A naturally occurring plant signalling molecule that regulates growth, development and stress responses.

Mass spectrometry: An analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ionised compounds to identify and quantify molecules in complex mixtures.

Hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC): A chromatographic method using a polar stationary phase to separate analytes based on their hydrophilicity.

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET): A mechanism by which energy transfer between two light-sensitive molecules reports on molecular interactions or conformational changes.

Biosensor: A molecular tool that converts the presence or concentration of a target analyte into a measurable signal, often fluorescent or electrical.

References

1. Next-generation ABACUS biosensors reveal cellular ABA dynamics driving root growth at low aerial humidity. Nature Plants (2023).
2. A biosensor for the direct visualization of auxin. Nature (2021).
3. Multi‐class plant hormone HILIC‐MS/MS analysis coupled with high‐throughput phenotyping to investigate plant–environment interactions. The Plant Journal (2024).
4. High-throughput quantification of more than 100 primary- and secondary-metabolites, and phytohormones by a single solid-phase extraction based sample preparation with analysis by UHPLC–HESI–MS/MS. Plant Methods (2016).