New Insights on How Plants Fight Diseases
Using a novel laser technology, scientists at Oxford Brookes University have observed real time that cell walls play a crucial role in limiting the mobility of proteins produced when a plant comes under attack. The proteins are stabilized in the plasma membrane and fight the invading pathogens.
Using a specially developed tracking technique at the Optics Clustered to Output Unique Solutions (OCTOPUS) imaging facility, complemented by the use of total internal reflection fluorescence, extremely high resolution images of samples under investigation are produced.
Project leader Dr. John Runions of Oxford Brookes University says, "This vital advance in our knowledge of the fundamental biological processes that take place in living plant cells will help us to improve crops' resilience and their ability to meet the challenges posed not just by diseases and pests but also by drought and a warming climate."
For more read the original article at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/food-security/2012/120613-pr-insight-into-how-plants-fight-diseases.aspx
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA)
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