A team of Korean researchers has discovered a gene, which they call the “pupil” of plants due to its integral role in controlling light signals.
The team, led by Pohang University of Science and Technology Professor Nam Hong-gil, said on Thursday (Feb. 10) they learned a type 5 protein phosphatase (PAPP5) regulates plants response to light.
“PAPP5 ensures optical photo-responses in plants through tightly controlling phytochrome proteins and the flux of light signals,” 47-year-old Nam said.
Phytochrome is a kind of a plant chemical in charge of absorbing light and using this light to regulate plant growth and development.
Proper exposure to light influences almost all developmental s of plants, from germination to flowering. For example, plants use the seasonal change in day length and the amount of light as one of the signals to bud or blossom.
U.S. scientists, co-headed by Harry Borthwick and Sterling Hendricks, found the role of phytochrome in 1952 but the precise mechanism had remained unknown.
“In a nutshell, phytochrome is to a plant what the pupil is to the human eye,” Nam explained.
He expects the discovery of PAPP5 will significantly influence farming worldwide by revolutionizing agricultural techniques.
“We created genetically engineered plants in which PAPP5 was over-expressed. Then they increased their sensitivity to light by 20-30 percent,” Nam said.
Nam noted that insufficient sunlight would no longer be a stumbling block for countries struggling to achieve harvests during winter.
“In several years, Korean farmers will be able to cultivate tropical crops here as long as they meet the temperature conditions, without having to worry about the amount of sunlight,” he projected.
Nams team applied for international patents on their findings. The mechanism will be published in the next edition of Cell, a U.S.-based biology journal. [from www.korea.net]
