Scientists have figured out how plants initiate the process of photosynthesis. This was reported by the press service of the University of California at Riverside.
For more than half a century, scientists have known that the cell nucleus sends signals to other organelles to initiate photosynthesis. Without it, the leaves will never turn green and will not be an energy source for the plant. But what exactly these signals looked like was unclear, as they were only known to be sent using one type of protein.
“Our problem was that the nucleus encodes hundreds of proteins that contain the building blocks of smaller organelles. Determining which ones are the signals for them to start photosynthesis is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” explain the study’s authors. Four proteins previously discovered by the same group of scientists turned out to be responsible for this process. It is they who leave the nucleus and force the organelles to develop into green chloroplasts that produce sugar.
This work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health, as it is believed that work in this area will help beat cancer. This hope is based on the similarity between chloroplasts in plant cells and mitochondria in human cells. Both organelles are the “energy machines” of cells, producing fuel for growth and containing genetic material. The mechanism discovered by the scientists allows the nucleus to similarly control the expression of mitochondrial and chloroplast genes. Based on this information, doctors hope to understand exactly what causes mitochondrial dysfunction in some types of cancer. In addition, the study of the mechanism of photosynthesis is important for the adaptation of plants to cultivation on other planets.
Source: Gazeta
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