This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Descubren cómo aumentar la longevidad de las semillas de las plantas
The work could have multiple applications in the sector agronómico and abaratar in the future the cost of the seeds
They discover how increase the longevity of the seeds of the plants
A study developed by researchers of the Upper Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC) has opened a new road to increase the longevity of the seeds of the plants by means of genetic engineering. His results have been published in the magazine Plant Physiology. In the work have collaborated researchers of the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (mixed centre of the CSIC and the Universitat Politècnica of València), and the Unit of Investigation in Vegetal Genomics of the French institute Evry.
Photo: Pal Csonka.
The key resides in the sobreexpresión of the gene ATHB25; this gene encodes a regulatory protein of the expressesion of other genes. As they have checked the researchers, the plants that on expresses said gene have increased the quantity of giberelina, that is the hormone that promotes the growth of the plants, what generates to his time a reinforcement of the protective cover of the seed. “This cover is the manager to avoid the entrance of oxygen in the seed; the increase in the giberelina does it stronger and this derives at the end in a greater resistance and longevity of the seed”, explains the researcher of the CSIC Eduardo Bueso.
This mechanism is new since the tolerance to estreses like the aging always had associated to another hormone, the acid abscísico, that regulates defences based in proteins and small protective molecules, in place to promote the growth of structures as it does the giberelina.
The study has developed in plants it model Arabidopsis thaliana, a species that presents big advantages for the investigation in molecular biology. The researchers tracked half million of seeds, that corresponded to 100.000 lines of Arabidopsis mutated. “Finally, in the study analyse four mutants and check the incidence on the longevity of the seeds of the plant when entering him the sobrexpresión of the gene ATHB25”, aims the professor of investigation of the CSIC Ramón Serrano.
The researchers compared the tax of longevity of the seeds of the plants of Arabidopsis modified by means of genetic engineering and of the no modified. For this, conserved them during 30 months in conditions of humidity and temperature acclimatise. In the case of plants them control, passed the thirty months, only a 20 % went back to germinate, whereas in the modified the practical whole –the 90 %- initiated again the process of germination.
The researchers of the centre work now in improving the longevity of different species of interest agronómico, between them the tomato or the wheat.
Biodiversity and profits for the agriculturalist
According to the researchers, this finding can result of special importance to keep the biodiversity, not losing species of seeds and, especially, for the agriculturalists.
“In the past cultivated a lot of species of distinct plants, but have lost many of them, since what prevails today are the criteria of performance. To guarantee the conservation of species created the Banks of Germoplasma, although these require to regenerate periodically the seeds. With this strategy could expand the terms of regeneration”, stands out Bueso. While, in the case of the agriculturalists, Serrano explains that “when increasing the useful life of the seeds, would reduce the cost derived of his purchase”.
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