Protecting the future: How plant stem cells guard against genetic damage
Monday, November 16, 2009 - 16:35
in Biology & Nature
Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots and shoots have an in-built mechanism that, if it detects damage to the DNA, causes the cell to 'commit suicide' rather than pass on its defective DNA.