A groundbreaking discovery by a team of Penn State biologists has revealed that flowers rely on a newly identified protein for proper development of all their organs. This protein, known as GRP20, was found in the model plant species Arabidopsis and is believed to play a crucial role in the development of flowers across various plant species.
The researchers demonstrated that GRP20 is essential for the processing of RNAs for thousands of genes, indicating its potential role in helping plants adapt to their environment. The findings of this research were published in the prestigious journal Nature Plants.
According to Hong Ma, the leader of the research team and a professor of biology at Penn State, GRP20 ensures that thousands of genes are properly spliced, preventing the omission of even the smallest exons in the splicing process for crucial floral regulatory RNAs.
RNAs can have their own function or carry genetic code for protein generation. However, for most genes, not all of the RNA sequence is used for coding proteins. These RNA molecules must undergo a process called splicing, which involves cutting out noncoding bits and rejoining the coding parts, known as exons.
2024-02-05 10:00:05
Original from phys.org