Clock Gene Helps Plants Prepare for Flowering Season

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh have reported new discoveries about the process that control plants' biological clocks and help them adjust to changing seasons, stimulating the blooming of flowers in spring.

The research team tested computer models of gene networks in Arabidopsis to determine the function of a protein labeled as TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1 (TOC1) in governing these daily cycles called circadian clock. The model shows how the 12 genes function together to run the plant's complex clockwork, and reset the clock at dawn and dusk each day. The team discovered through computational analysis that TOC1, which was previously linked with helping plants to "wake up", is in fact involved in dampening gene activity in the evening, helping them stay inactive at night.

Read the full paper at http://www.nature.com/msb/journal/v8/n1/full/msb20126.html.