Scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) have pinpointed the heat-tolerance gene in plants. This holds promising implications for the improvement of heat tolerance in crops.
The MSU researchers found that the gene bZIP28 helps regulate heat stress adaptation in the model plant Arabidopsis. The gene encodes a membrane-tethered protein that can turn on other genes to control heat response. Plants with an inactive bZIP28 die as soon as temperatures reach a certain level
Heat tolerance in plants turns out to be more complex than previously thought. The team found that bZIP28 was responding to signals from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is the first time the ER has been shown to be involved with the response to heat. Previous research has shown that the nucleus, the "control center" of the cell, and cytosol, the fluid inside cells, play a role in how plants respond to heat. The ER – a network of tubules, vesicles, and sac-like structures – is mainly responsible for packaging and storing proteins in the cell.
For the complete article, read http://news.msu.edu/story/5689/&perPage=25
(Source: CropBiotech Update)
