Researchers isolate enzyme that may enable energy crops to tolerate harsher environments

In New York, researchers at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified the HHT enzyme responsible for the formation of suberin — the woody, waxy, cell-wall substance found in cork. While effective at keeping wine inside a bottle, suberin’s most important function in plants is to control water and nutrient transportation and keep pathogens out.

The researchers said that suberin plays an important role in the adaptation of plants to their terrestrial habitats, and that harnessing the mechanism responsible for suberin production might therefore allow scientists to create crop breeds tailored to thrive in harsh environments. For example, if certain breeds can be created that are more adept at absorbing and storing water and nutrients, the crops could be farmed in much drier climates — perhaps even desert. In addition, the team’s finding that modifications can alter plants’ tolerance to salt suggests that the newly-identified gene might be used to generate crops able to grow under salty conditions.

The research, led by Brookhaven biologists Chang-Jun Liu and Jin-Ying Gou, is published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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