Researchers reveal biological pathway that could be targeted to breed more resilient crops

trueCollege of Natural Science,Plant Biology,Plant Research Laboratory08/30/2023Researchers reveal biological pathway that could be targeted to breed more resilient crops

Michigan State University plant biologists have made a discovery that could help turn a natural kill switch in plant cells into a “life switch” that helps crops better survive the challenges presented by climate change. At its core, though, this is a fundamental finding, shared in the journal Nature Plants, that has implications across biology for how organisms respond to stress linked to overproduction of proteins by the cell.

Michigan State University plant biologists have revealed important proteins and genes that control a cell’s fate in response to certain stresses.
The discovery, published in the journal Nature Plants, could help scientists and farmers breed crops that are more resilient to stresses from drought and extreme heat, which are becoming more common with climate change.
The researchers made their discovery using the plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana.

Matt Davenport

Working with Arabidopsis thaliana, a model organism, plant biologists at Michigan State University revealed the biomolecular controls of one of the systems that regulates cell death and plant health

MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratoryclimate changeendoplasmic reticulumextreme environmentsplant biologyplant resilience