As plants are exposed to light, the protein complex photosystem II (PSII) energizes electrons to help power photosynthesis. But heat or intense light can damage a key subunit, known as D1, and stop PSII’s work until the plant makes and inserts a new D1 into the complex. Chloroplasts have their …
A team of researchers from China, U.S. and Israel, has found a protective gene in wild wheatgrass that shows promise in stopping fusarium head blight in wheat and barley crops. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they found the gene and how well it …
In the frames of our work on STARBIOS2 project and for the third time in a row, in February-March 2020 PBIC organized National Essay Contest for young people. This year, the topic of the Contest was “Climate is changing! And me?” We received 234 essays from the 3 groups of …
An international research team led by scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has produced the first comprehensive map of the proteome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The team has mapped around 18,000 of all the proteins found in the plant. Proteins are the main molecular players in …
University of California researchers reported the use of CRISPR-Cas9 for marker-free targeted insertion of a carotenoid biosynthesis cassette in two sites in the rice genome. Their findings are available in Nature Communications. Targeted insertion of the transgene at chosen locations in the plant genome is a favorable option in plant …
Scientists at UC Davis have used CRISPR technology to genetically engineer rice with high levels of beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A. The technique they used provides a promising strategy for genetically improving rice and other crops. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. Rice is a staple …
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences improved the tocopherol composition of maize to maximize its use for human and livestock health. The results are published in Transgenic Research. The seeds of many plant species, including maize, have high gamma (γ)-tocopherol but low alpha (α)-tocopherol contents, α-tocopherol, a form …
A research team at the University of Toronto in Canada has successfully tested a new strategy to identify genetic resources in the ongoing battle against plant pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, which infect and destroy food crops worldwide. The team led by David Guttman and Darrell Desveaux wanted to know how plants …
While nearly everyone around the world eats corn, not everyone knows that the crop is extremely sensitive to cold weather because it is a tropical plant. Now a research team at the Boyce Thompson Institute has taken a step closer to developing a new type of corn that can recover …
Scientists from the University of Würzburg, Germany and partners are exploring on the capability of modified plants to store more carbon dioxide, which can possibly slow down climate change. Their findings are published in Trends in Biotechnology. Excessive carbon dioxide released through the soil and vegetation respiration that is not absorbed by plants through photosynthesis fuels global …
