Jasmonic acid

Relevance: Prelims: Science and technology

Why in news?

  • Researchers in the United States have discovered a communication network in plants that helps them respond to a hormone involved in pest resistance. This may help develop crops that can withstand insect attacks.
  • The study observed that the hormone called jasmonic acid is particularly important for a plant’s defense response against fungi and insects.

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Key highlights:

  • In the study, the scientists used the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a widely studied small flowering plant in the mustard family, whose genome has been well characterised.
  • The researchers said the findings from studying Arabidopsis thaliana can be applied to other plants, including those grown for food.
  • During the experiment, using various computational approaches, the study team could identify genes important for the plant’s response to jasmonic acid, and for the cellular cross-communication with other plant hormone pathways.
  • According to the scientists, the genes MYC2 and MYC3 rose to the top in their degree of importance across the system.
  • They said the two genes are involved in producing proteins that regulate the activity of thousands of other genes.
  • By assessing these gene networks and subnetworks, researchers could understand the architecture of the whole plant hormone system.
  • It also helped them to understand which genes are turned on and off during a plant’s defense response.
  • Ultimately, the process helps in identifying breeding crops that are able to better withstand attacks from pests.

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