Just as nations around the globe carefully guard their defense secrets, so do plants.
New research in the current issue of Nature, however, has revealed the molecular secrets of plants’ defense mechanisms at the atomic level. The study, led by Michigan State University and Van Andel Research Institute, focuses on the plant hormone jasmonate and its interaction with three key proteins. The findings could help scientists develop dream crops that are better equipped to fend off pests, diseases and future challenges created by fluctuating climate.
