BRexit: Possible Brassinosteroid Export and Transport Routes.

The movement and differential distribution of endogenous plant hormones are the determining factors for many developmental processes. Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a group of plant steroidal hormones that promote growth and development. Although synthesis and signalling of BRs are well described and characterized, the exit mechanism of these compounds from the cell remains uncharacterizd. Whether BRs are able to move within the apoplast and whether the BR synthesis in one cell can trigger the signalling in its neighbours is also unknown. Here, we draw the attention to these aspects of the BR biology, propose several BR cell export routes and discuss possible consequences of local BR hormonal gradients, resulting from localized biosynthesis and a short-distance transport, for plant development.