Plant-Based Biosensor Could be Key to Timing Fruit Ripening

Researchers have developed a novel plant-based biosensor to detect the presence of the fruit ripening hormone ethylene. This sensor uses a specially engineered plant line where areas with ethylene will glow (using a fluorescent protein gene) or turn blue (using an enzyme gene). This visual change allows scientists to see exactly which cells and tissues respond to ethylene under various conditions.

The biosensor will help researchers better study ethylene's role beyond fruit ripening, including its impact on pathogen response, nodulation, and parasitic plant relationships. It could also be adapted to control the speed of fruit ripening. By fusing the biosensor to a gene that inhibits ripening, the presence of ethylene could be used to slow down the process, potentially leading to reduced loss of fruits and vegetables due to overripening and deterioration.

Anna Stepanova, a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper describing the research, said that they are collaborating with international researchers to leverage the biosensor's DNA to create new sensors that can simultaneously monitor multiple plant hormones to understand their complex interactions during processes like growth, heat stress, and infections.

For more details, read the news article in the NC State University CALS News.