Biotech Updates

Study Reveals Difference in Transmembrane Signaling of Plants and Animals

June 17, 2011

Scientists from the Salk Institute discovered that the transmembrane signaling mechanisms exhibited by plants is different from the mechanisms used by animals. According to Michael Hothorn, the lead author of the study, a small steroid molecule located outside of the plant cell functions in the transmembrane signaling process, while another similar molecule and its receptor is located inside the nuclei of animal cells.

Transmembrane signaling is a biological communication process that includes the membrane's recognition of the signal, transfer of the signal, and then the response to the signal. The paper about this study is published in the advanced online edition of Nature.

Read the original article at http://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=119827&org=NSF&from=news.