Новости науки и практики // Июль 2017

Hydrogen peroxide protects plants against sun damage
Plants use hydrogen peroxide -- best known for use in bleach and hair treatments -- to control how their cells react to varying levels of light, new research shows.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170629101657.htm

New approach to unlock the genetic potential of plant cell wall
Researchers have unlocked the genetic secrets of plant cell walls, which could help improve the quality of plant-based foods.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170616102114.htm

Natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana Cd responses and the detection of quantitative trait loci affecting Cd tolerance
Metal tolerance is often a result of metal storage or distribution. Thus, with the goal of advancing the molecular understanding of such metal homeostatic mechanisms, natural variation of metal tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03540-z

Antioxidant responses under salinity and drought in three wild monocots
In a recent study published in AoB PLANTS, Al Hassan et al. studied the level of oxidative stress and the activation of antioxidant responses in three rush species – sea rush (Juncus maritimus), spiny rush (J. acutus) and jointleaf rush (J. articulatus) – subjected to salt and water stress treatments.
https://aobblog.com/2017/06/antioxidant-responses-salinity-drought-three-wild-monocots/

A better dye job for roots -- in plants
A chemical dye has been discovered that reveals how a critical plant hormone helps root growth.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170601192727.htm

New step in plant mastermind hormone's pathway revealed
Plants have a complex system of hormones that guide their growth and maximize their ability to take advantage of the environment. One mastermind hormone is called brassinosteroid. New research has identified one missing link in the brassinosteroid signaling chain, which is called KIB1 and is an essential part of brassinosteroid's effectiveness.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170601124103.htm

The calmodulin fused kinase novel gene family is the major system in plants converting Ca2+ signals to protein phosphorylation responses
Scientistsexamined the deep phylogeny of eukaryotic CS converter gene families and identified a phylogenetically and structurally distinctive monophyly in Archaeplastida.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03367-8

How plants prevent oxidative stress
When excess light energy is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis, harmful reactive oxygen species are produced. These reactive oxygen species break down important structures such as proteins and membranes, preventing them from functioning properly. Researchers have discovered the system used by plants to prevent oxidative stress and to safely carry out photosynthesis.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170608073352.htm

Similar lipids cluster in soybean cell membrane model
Researchers have developed a detailed computational model of the soybean plasma membrane that provides new structural insight at the molecular level, which may have applications for studying membrane proteins and may be useful for engineering plants to produce biochemicals, biofuels, drugs and other compounds, and in understanding how plants sense and respond to stressful conditions.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170606112820.htm

Scientists discover plant 'brain' controlling seed development
A new study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has revealed a group of cells that function as a 'brain' for plant embryos, capable of assessing environmental conditions and dictating when seeds will germinate.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/uob-sdp053117.php

Ancient Oak’s Youthful Genome Surprises Biologists
DNA of a 234-year-old tree has few mutations, giving weight to idea that plants protect their
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-oaks-youthful-genome-surprises-biologists/

Biologists find missing link for the 'safe' signal in plants
Plant biologists at Utrecht University and colleagues from the University of Amsterdam, have now discovered how the plant metabolises jasmonic acid, issuing the signal 'safe'. Controlling this mechanism may present new opportunities to increase resistance of crops to fungi and insects.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/uu-bfm053017.php

Making sense of petunia scents
Researchers have identified a key protein that helps release the flowery essence of petunias.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/aaft-mso062617.php

Comprehensive study of excess phosphate response reveals ethylene mediated signaling that negatively regulates plant growth and development
Researchers used ethylene-insensitive or sensitive mutants to provide more evidence for ethylene-mediated signaling. A new role of EPiR in regulating the developmental responses of plants mediated by ethylene has been demonstrated.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03061-9

Newly established, a national park in Australia unveils a new plant species
A team of botanists from the US has named a new bush tomato species, based on collections made by their Australian colleagues, during government-funded surveys in a brand new national park.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/pp-nan062817.php

Genetic engineering tool generates antioxidant-rich purple rice
Researchers in China have developed a genetic engineering approach capable of delivering many genes at once and used it to make rice endosperm--seed tissue that provides nutrients to the developing plant embryo--produce high levels of antioxidant-boosting pigments called anthocyanins.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-06/cp-get062017.php