Plant disease resistance protein unexpectedly accelerates aging in lab study
Resistance to disease should mean a longer life, but researchers have found that a mutant protein that helps a plant fight mildew might make it age sooner.
The Osaka Metropolitan University research team of Graduate School of Agriculture student Tomoko Matsumoto and Professor Noriko Inada and Graduate School of Science Professor Koichi Kobayashi discovered that thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants with the mutant Actin Depolymerizing Factor protein turn yellow sooner over time and in dark conditions compared to wild-type thale cress.
"ADFs are involved not only in leaf aging but also in disease response and plant growth control," Professor Inada explained. "Further elucidation of the function of ADFs can help contribute to crop yield improvement and enhanced sustainability of agricultural production."
The paper is in the journal Plant And Cell Â鶹ÒùÔºiology.
More information: Tomoko Matsumoto et al, Arabidopsis thaliana ACTIN DEPOLYMERIZING FACTORs play a role in leaf senescence regulation, Plant And Cell Â鶹ÒùÔºiology (2025).
Journal information: Plant and Cell Â鶹ÒùÔºiology
Provided by Osaka Metropolitan University