Modern plant enzyme partners with surprisingly ancient protein

Study reveals that protein responsible for building a key component of modern plant cell walls first emerged in ancient species

Chang-Jun Liu, a senior scientist in Brookhaven's Biology Department, said,"The emergence of lignin, which provides structural support for the plants, was a key evolutionary event that enabled plant survival in the new terrestrial environment." protein, CB5D, is indispensable for the production of S-lignin but not the other, more ancient types of lignin.

To explore their hypothesis, the scientists ran a genetic analysis to find other plant species whose DNA contained genes similar to the moderngene, which acts as instructions for assembling the CB5D protein. They identified 21 species, ranging from evolutionarily ancient to evolutionarily recent.

Having found ancient genes that encode proteins similar to the modern CB5D protein in terms of S-lignin synthesis in modern plants and cellular localization, the team wanted to learn more about this protein's ancient function and how it changed or expanded over time. Liu remarked,"That's the beauty of research. Answering one question leads you to even more interesting questions waiting to be explored."Scientists reveal new plant cell walls can have significantly different mechanical properties compared to surrounding parental cell walls, enabling cells to change their local shape and influence the ...

Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)

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