Introduction Several studies have shown that jasmonates (jasmonic acid, (+)-7-isojasmonic acid and methyl jasmonate) exhibit potential anticancer activity, with the advantage of displaying selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells that spares normal lymphocytes to this function [1]. This class of compounds is present in several families of plants, being also produced by certain microorganisms, inc...

Introduction The term jasmonates is used to describe lipid derivatives synthesized via octadecanoid pathway and are mainly represented by jasmonic acid (JA) and its ester methyl jasmonate (MJ). In plants, jasmonates act in the defense mechanism [1], and recent reports have attributed to JA and MJ the ability to inhibit the growth of human cancer cells, yet having cytotoxic selectivity [2]. Due ...

How do stress-induced jasmonates cause genetic re-programming of plant cells? New research shows that the JAZ proteins provide the missing link.

The jasmonates are well studied in the context of plant defence but increasingly are also recognised as playing roles in development. In many systems, jasmonates antagonise the effects of cytokinins. The aim of the present work was to elucidate interactions between methyl jasmonate and cytokinin (benzyladenine) in regulating growth of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L., cv. Cocozelle, var. Tripolis) c...

Venus flytrap's leaves can catch an insect in a fraction of a second. Since the time of Charles Darwin, scientists have struggled to understand the sensory biology and biomechanics of this plant, Dionaea muscipula. Here we show that insect-capture of Dionaea traps is modulated by the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and jasmonates. Water-stressed Dionaea, as well as those exposed to the drought...

Jasmonates are oxygenated lipids (oxylipins) that control defense gene expression in response to cell damage in plants. How mobile are these potent mediators within tissues? Exploiting a series of 13-lipoxygenase (13-lox) mutants in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that displays impaired jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis in specific cell types and using JA-inducible reporters, we mapped the extent...