A research group at
Tohoku University has discovered the protein that inhibits the
formation of organic nitrogen compounds in plants. The protein
could potentially be used to improve plant growth, biomass
production, and crop yields.
Nitrogen is
important to humans and plants. Plants use nitrate or ammonium in
the environment to synthesize organic nitrogen molecules in a
process called nitrogen assimilation. Crop production relies on
nitrogen fertilizers for efficient nitrogen uptake. However, the
mechanism behind nitrogen assimilation is still unknown to
scientists.
Multiple proteins
mediate nitrogen assimilation, and previous research by this group
reported that the protein MYB1 serves a crucial role in inducing
the expression of genes necessary for the process to take place,
but becomes inhibited in high nitrogen environments. The results
revealed that the novel protein NDB1 inactivated MYB1. NDB1 traps
MYB1 in the cytoplasm and prevents it from functioning as a
transcription factor.
Research
News - New Protein Discovery Reveals The Mechanisms of Nitrogen
Assimilation in Plants | Tohoku University Global Site