UK Scientists Identify Important Gene in Maize Plant

Scientists from Oxford University and the University of Warwick (UK), in collaboration with agricultural biotech research company Biogemma-Limagrain, have identified a gene, called Meg 1 in the maize plant. It regulates the transfer of nutrients from the plant to the seed and is responsible for the formation of specialized conduit cells that confer placenta-like properties to the embryo surrounding tissues of plant seeds.

Dr Gutierrez-Marcos of the University of Warwick said: ‘These findings have significant implications for global agriculture and food security, as scientists now have the molecular know-how to manipulate this gene by traditional plant breeding or through other methods in order to improve seed traits, such as increased seed biomass yield.

A report of the research, entitled Maternal control of nutrient allocation in plant seeds by genomic imprinting, is published in the journal Current Biology.

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