Biotech Updates

Scientists Discover the Direct Link from Development to Growth

July 2, 2010

It is quite discerning to say that growth and development go hand in hand, leading to the reproduction of right number of cells in specific locations. However, it is only recently that the link has been justified in plants by scientists at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy (IGSP). They discovered that a well-known protein called Short-root is responsible for the activity of other genes involved in cell division. Together with its genetic partner Scarecrow, Short-root switches on the the gene cyclin D6, another gene that governs cell growth and division. Cyclin D6 is also present in animals including humans.

IGSP's Center for Systems Biology Director Philip Benfey said that "the discovery in plants has immediate practical relevance given the central role of plants to human life, in the form of ‘food, feed, fuel and fiber.' It's also likely that the ‘logic' behind plants' growth and development will carry over to other species, perhaps even our own. "

Visit http://news.duke.edu/2010/07/growthdev.html for more details.