Fluorescent probes for imaging and detection of plant hormones and their receptors

Abstract

Exploring plant behavior at the cellular scale in a minimally invasive manner is critical to understanding plant adaptation to the environment. Phytohormones play vital regulatory roles in multiple aspects of plant growth and development and acclimation to environmental changes. Since the biosynthesis, modification, transportation, and degradation of plant hormones in plants change with time and space, their content level and distribution are highly dynamic. To monitor the production, transport, perception, and distribution of phytohormones within undamaged tissues, we require qualitative and quantitative tools endowed with remarkably high temporal and spatial resolution. Fluorescent probes are regarded as excellent tools for widespread plant imaging because of their high sensitivity and selectivity, reproducibility, real-time in situ detection, and uncomplicated mechanism elucidation. In this review, we provide a systematical overview of the progress in the sensing and imaging of phytohormone fluorescent probes and fluorescently labeled phytohormones to their receptors in plants. Moreover, forthcoming viewpoints and possible applications of these fluorescent probes within the realm of plants are also presented. We hold the conviction that the new perspective brought by this paper can promote the development of fluorescent probes, enabling them to have better detection performance in plant hormone imaging.