How plants use sunlight to tell time via cell protein signaling
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 11:02
in Biology & Nature
Researchers have solved a key mystery of how plants tell time. Researchers learned a chemical bond in the protein Zeitlupe forms and breaks in reaction to sunlight at varying rates, signaling plants when to bloom, metabolize and store energy, and other functions. The discovery means plant clocks can be tuned by targeted mutations to plant proteins that may improve resistance to pathogens and crop yields.