Navigation Links
Newly recognized gene mutation may reduce seeds, resurrect plants

A mutated plant that seems to return from the dead may hold the secret to how some flora protect their progeny during yield-limiting drought and other stresses, according to Purdue University scientists whose study of the plant led to discovery of a gene.

The gene, called RESURRECTION1 (RST1), has revealed a previously unknown genetic connection between lipid development and embryo development in plants, said Matthew Jenks, lead author of the study and a Purdue plant physiologist.

Lipids play a role in preventing plant dehydration in forming cells' membranes, in molecular signaling and in energy storage. A still-to-be revealed lipid associated with formation of the cuticle that coats plant surfaces may signal whether a seed develops to maturity or is aborted early due to a defective embryo.

"This is interesting because in crop production a number of plants have a problem of reduced yield due to seed or fruit abortion," Jenks said. "It's thought that plants may abort some of their seeds, especially under stress, to conserve and divert resources to the remaining seeds. So, in a drought situation, for example, plants will get rid of some seeds so that they can support growth of at least a few healthy seeds."

In the November issue of Plant Physiology, Jenks and his team of researchers from the Purdue Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture report on the normal gene RST1.

They found the gene while studying a unique surface wax mutant of Arabidopsis, a common laboratory research plant. All plants have a certain amount of wax overlaying leaves and stems.

The abnormal plant, a mutant of RST1, had short, rounded leaves that turned purple during development, and then before flowering, the plant quickly browned and looked dead. It also had a large proportion of small, wrinkled, non-viable seeds with aborted embryos. These contained only 34 percent of the normal amount of lipids.

"It appeared to have died, and
'"/>

Source:Purdue University


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Newly-discovered class of genes determines ?and restricts ?stem cell fate
2. Newly discovered virus linked to childhood lung disorders and Kawasaki disease
3. Newly Discovered Compound Blocks Known Cancer-Causing Protein
4. Newly discovered pathway might help in design of cancer drugs
5. Newly Discovered Branding Process Helps Immune System Cells Pick Their Fights
6. Newly discovered protein an important tool for sleeping sickness research
7. Newly discovered genetic disease sheds light on bodys water balance
8. Newly Discovered Role for Heart Response Enzyme May Yield Better Heart Failure Therapy
9. Newly discovered birdlike dinosaur is oldest raptor ever found in South America
10. Fitting in: Newly evolved genes adopt a variety of strategies to remain in the gene pool
11. Newly identified mechanism helps explain why people of African descent are more vulnerable to TB

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/23/2009)..., CHAMPAIGN, Ill. A new study provides "incontr...on of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 y...000 miles from the epicenter, researchers report. ...ometers of ash into the atmosphere, leaving a crat... 100 kilometers long and 35 kilometers wide. Ash f...
(Date:11/23/2009)... LIVERMORE, Calif. - By producing some of the hig...neral surfaces, scientists have a deeper understan...ls. This research may lead to a new treatment for ..., which appears in the Nov. 23 online edition of t... Sciences , explores how peptides interact with mi...
(Date:11/23/2009)... , BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A new study by University ...hat body-mass index (BMI) and co-existing medical ...ased survival observed among African-Americans com...e study is published online Nov. 23 in Cancer , a...inding indicates that although BMI and co-morbidit...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago 2Scientists watch as peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes' 2Scientists watch as peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes' 3Racial disparity in colon cancer survival not easily explained, UAB researchers say 2iPhone App That Saves Money on Prescription Medicines 55009 1iPhone App That Saves Money on Prescription Medicines 55009 2Mesothelioma Resource Center Enters Twitter World 55007 1Mesothelioma Resource Center Enters Twitter World 55007 2Stemedica Requests Pre IND Meeting With FDA 4877 1Stemedica Requests Pre IND Meeting With FDA 4877 2
...nique for growing replacement cartilage offers the...ace of knees damaged by arthritis. The technique, ...engineering Laboratory, is described in this month...s has significant ramifications because we are now...potential treatment of entire arthritic joints and...
... hormone, a substance that is used for body growth...e published in this week,s Proceedings of the Nati...m three institutions –?found that growth hormone i...p inside the brain that is involved in memory and ...rowth hormone is produced in females than in males...
...irus H5N1, derived from horses, prevent mice infec...y published today in the open access journal Respi...) reveals that a dose of 100 µg of horse anti-seru...s suggest that anti-H5N1 antibodies developed in h...rom H5N1 influenza, or as early treatment for the ...
Other Biology News:Rice bioengineers pioneer techniques for knee repair 2Growth hormone is made in the brain, report scientists 2
(Date:11/19/2009).... 19 Dr. Mate Hidvegi, inventor of...a press release issued on November 17 by Biropharm...ng false and self-serving statements about its U.S...egi stated from his office in Budapest, Hungary: ...r does not apply to AveULTRA, www.aveultra.com ...
(Date:11/19/2009)... 19 Spherix Incorporated...or diabetes therapy, and a provider of technical a...ent, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, t...ting of Shareholders. ,, At the meeting, shareh...ected the following members to the Board of Direct...
(Date:11/19/2009)...PRNewswire/ - Aegera Therapeutics Inc. announced t...ed Phase 2B study of AEG35156, a targeted antisens...e oncology indications. ,, The study, entitled ...inked Inhibitor of Apoptosis (XIAP) Antisense AEG3...e and Idarubicin in AML Following Failure of a Sin...
(Date:11/19/2009)...und is honored by latest award for revolutionary h...(PRWEB) November 16, 2009 -- Popular Science Magaz...aring aid from InSound Medical a winner of its cov...category.    Chosen from thous... in the hearing canal for up to four months while ...
Breaking Biology Technology:American BioSciences Rebuts Misleading Statements Made by Hungarian Competitor 2Spherix Announces Results of Annual Shareholders Meeting 2Spherix Announces Results of Annual Shareholders Meeting 3Spherix Announces Results of Annual Shareholders Meeting 4Aegera Therapeutics Initiates a Randomized Phase 2B Study with AEG35156 for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) 2Popular Science Awards Lyric “Invisible” Hearing Aid 2009 “Best of What's New” Award 2Popular Science Awards Lyric “Invisible” Hearing Aid 2009 “Best of What's New” Award 3
...ce Pharmaceuticals,Inc. (Nasdaq: CADX ), a biopha...ping and commercializing proprietary product candi... announced today that the company,s,President and ...corporate,overview at the following investment con...care Conference at the InterContinental Hotel ...
...l-Myers Squibb,Company (NYSE: BMY ) invites inves... of its annual meeting with stockholders at 10 a.m...ockholder and board items to be,transacted, senior...s,business., For information on how to listen to ...age of the Bristol-Myers Squibb website at, http:/...
...ss Leaders (ABL) Organization Recognizes ...re, SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 30 Accuray,Incorpor...d of radiosurgery,today announced that the company...from the Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Organizat...hnology" category., Out of 74 total nominations -...
Other Biology Technology:Cadence Pharmaceuticals' CEO Ted Schroeder to Present at Three Investment Conferences During the Month of May 2008 2Accuray Wins Innovations in Healthcare(SM) ABBY Award 2Accuray Wins Innovations in Healthcare(SM) ABBY Award 3Accuray Wins Innovations in Healthcare(SM) ABBY Award 4
... antibody was derived from rabbit immunized with h...binant protein domains such as antibody fragments ...d on phage using phagemid-based systems (1), rathe.... libraries. Anti-M13 pIII Monoclonal Antibody can...
iEMS Incubator/Shaker 3 module from Thermo Scientific
Mouse Anti-Human Porin 31HL Monoclonal Antibody, Unconjugated, Clone 89-173/016 from Calbiochem
Spacer for Miniature FRENCH Pressure Cell from Thermo Scientific
Biology Products: