Roles of Brassinosteroids in Plant Growth and Development: A Revisit

Abiotic and biotic stressors have become more difficult for plants to withstand in recent years, leading to a notable decline in crop production. Plants rely on a complex network of molecular and physiological changes, coordinated by many phytohormones, to stave off these stressors. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of polyhydroxylated steroidal phytohormones that has attracted a lot of interest. BRs influence cell division, elongation, and differentiation during all phases of a plant's life cycle, which are essential for plant development, growth, and total production. The identification of BRs and the disclosure of their chemical structure in plants marked the start of the exploration of this field. They play multifaceted roles in plant growth and development, and their ability to enhance plant responses to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses has been widely documented. BRs are highly versatile regulators and are essential in growth, development, and responses to environmental stresses such as extreme temperatures and drought. The functions of BRs in plant development and their response to different kinds of stress are crucial. Recent studies have demonstrated several domains of interaction between BRs and other hormones or stress responses, with spatial and temporal aspects. The latest developments in our understanding of the BR signaling pathway and the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms by which BRs regulate plant development reveal the complex web of interactions that influence root development, anther and pollen formation, stem elongation, vasculature differentiation, cellulose biosynthesis, and numerous other aspects of plant life. This chapter expands our knowledge of BRs in plant biology and holds the promise of shaping the future of agriculture and environmental resilience.