Mechanism behind orchid beauty revealed
Tuesday, August 21, 2018 - 07:40
in Biology & Nature
Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have identified the gene related to the greenish flower mutation in the Habenaria orchid. Associate Professor Akira Kanno and Ph.D. candidate Mai Mitoma have discovered that the greenish flower mutation is caused by a retrotransposon insertion in one of the floral homeotic genes in the Habenaria orchid. The modification of this gene by a genetic transformation system enables the development of greenish flowers in orchids and other plant species.