As a baby seedling emerges from the depths of the soil, it faces a challenge: gravity's downward push. To succeed, the plant must sense the force, then push upward with an even greater force. Visible growth is proof that ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 20, 2021
0
66
Plants adapt to their nutritional needs by modifying the permeability of their roots through the production or degradation of a cork-like layer called suberin. By studying the regulation of this protective layer in Arabidopsis ...
Biotechnology
Sep 23, 2021
0
97
A team of researchers from Korea University, Sogang University and the National University of Singapore has found that the protein florigen binds to a membrane phosopholipid when temperatures are low and unbinds when temperatures ...
By discovering previously unexplored ways in which crop pathogens break through plant cell walls, the scientists have opened up opportunities for developing effective disease control technologies.
Molecular & Computational biology
Aug 12, 2021
0
155
Like the movie version of Spider-Man who shoots spider webs from holes in his wrists, a little alpine plant has been found to eject cobweb-like threads from tiny holes in specialized cells on its leaves. It's these tiny holes ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 17, 2021
1
15
A plant cell wall's unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking—a quality required for plant growth—is due to the movement of its cellulose skeleton, according to new research that models the cell wall. The ...
Plants & Animals
May 13, 2021
0
118
What would it be like to produce fertilizer in your own basement? Leguminous plants, like peas, beans and various species of clover, obtain the organic nitrogen they need for their growth from symbiotic soil bacteria via ...
Plants & Animals
May 3, 2021
0
72
A multi-institutional research group led by two Penn State faculty members has identified, for the first time, how cellulose crystals orient themselves relative to the cell wall in plants, with potential implications for ...
Materials Science
Nov 18, 2020
0
472
Many plants, including legumes, make naturally occurring chemicals called saponins. For example, the medicinal plant licorice produces the saponin glycyrrhizin, a potent natural sweetener that also has antiviral and other ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 16, 2020
0
28
During photosynthesis, leaves capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and transform it into organic compounds. However, getting from the leaf surface to the enzymes where carbon is fixed inside leaves is full of ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2020
0
197
