Inactivation of brassinosteroid biological activity by a salicylate-inducible steroid sulfotransferase from Brassica napus

Recent discoveries from brassinosteroid-deficient mutants led to the recognition that plants, like animals, use steroids to regulate their growth and development. We describe the characterization of one member of a Brassica napus sulfotransferase gene family coding for an enzyme that catalyzes the O-sulfonation of brassinosteroids and of mammalian estrogenic steroids. The enzyme is specific for the hydroxyl group at position 22 of brassinosteroids with a preference for 24-epicathasterone, an intermediate in the biosynthesis of 24-epibrassinolide. Enzymatic sulfonation of 24-epibrassinolide abolishes its biological activity in the bean second internode bioassay. This mechanism of hormone inactivation by sulfonation is similar to the modulation of estrogen biological activity observed in mammals. Furthermore, the expression of the B. napus steroid sulfotransferase genes was found to be induced by salicylic acid, a signal molecule in the plant defense response. This pattern of expression suggests that, in addition to an increased synthesis of proteins having antimicrobial properties, plants respond to pathogen infection by modulating steroid-dependent growth and developmental processes.