News tagged with plant proteins

Cellular secrets of plant fatty acid production understood; discovery could boost bioeconomy

(Phys.org) -- Research groups from Iowa State University and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have uncovered the function of three plant proteins, a discovery that could help plant scientists boost ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 14, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Ultraviolet protection molecule in plants yields its secrets

Lying around in the sun all day is hazardous not just for humans but also for plants, which have no means of escape. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage proteins and DNA inside cells, leading ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Long-standing plant biochemistry mystery solved

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have discovered how an enzyme "knows" where to insert a double bond ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Sep 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

It's in the genes: Research pinpoints how plants know when to flower

Scientists believe they've pinpointed the last crucial piece of the 80-year-old puzzle of how plants "know" when to flower.

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 25, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (10) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Castor oil: Action mechanism of one of the oldest drugs known to man elucidated

Castor oil is known primarily as an effective laxative; however, it was also used in ancient times with pregnant women to induce labour. Only now have scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created May 21, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Biologists offer clearer picture of how protein machine systems tweak gene expression

Indiana University biologists have found that specific types of RNA polymerase enzymes, the molecular machines that convert DNA into RNA, can differ in function based on variation in the parts -- in this case ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Mar 01, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Bacteria tend leafcutter ants' gardens

(PhysOrg.com) -- Leafcutter ants, the tiny red dots known for carrying green leaves as they march through tropical forests, are also talented farmers that cultivate gardens of fungi and bacteria. Ants eat ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Mar 01, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New study explores proteins in Yellowstone bacteria for biofuel inspiration

Studies of bacteria first found in Yellowstone's hot springs are furthering efforts at the Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center toward commercially viable ethanol production from crops such as switchgrass.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Feb 14, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Improving crops from the roots up

Research involving scientists at The University of Nottingham has taken us a step closer to breeding hardier crops that can better adapt to different environmental conditions and fight off attack from parasites.

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A major step forward towards drought tolerance in crops

When a plant encounters drought, it does its best to cope with this stress by activating a set of protein molecules called receptors. These receptors, once activated, turn on processes that help the plant ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Dec 19, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Discovery changes how scientists think about plant cell wall formation

University of Georgia researchers have discovered that two proteins come together in an unexpected way to make a carbohydrate, a chain of sugar molecules, in plant cell walls. This fundamental discovery changes ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Research team clarifies mechanics of first new cell cycle to be described in more than 20 years

An international team of researchers led by investigators in the U.S. and Germany has shed light on the inner workings of the endocycle, a common cell cycle that fuels growth in plants, animals and some human tissues and ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Oct 30, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Protein plays role in helping plants see light

Plants do not have eyes or legs, yet they are able to "see" and move toward and away from light. This ability, called phototropism, is controlled by a series of molecular-level signals between proteins inside and between ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Oct 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Molecular chaperones traffic signaling proteins between cells in plant stem-cell maintenance pathway

Like all living things, plants depend for their growth and sustenance on elaborate signaling networks to maintain stem cells, cells that have an almost magical regenerative capacity. The signals sent through these networks ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Aug 25, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Plant immunity discovery boosts chances of disease-resistant crops

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have opened up the black box of plant immune system genetics, boosting our ability to produce disease- and pest-resistant crops in the ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 28, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast