The Rural Voice, 1998-12, Page 13Scrap Book
Carrot's genes
could keep other
plants warm
The discovery of a protein that
allows plants to survive freezing
temperatures could Lead to
genetically altered crops able to
withstand cold weather, a team of
researchers in Britain says.
In a study published in the
journal Science, the scientists
identified an antifreeze protein In
a carrot plant that blocks the
formation of ice crystals that can
kill plants.
The team isolated the protein
and then spliced the gene into the
cold -sensitive tobacco plant,
which normally cannot resist
freezing. Soon after the injection,
the tobacco plant began to show
signs of frost tolerance, raising the
possibility scientists could one day
make some plants more resistant
to cold temperatures.
The protein works by binding
to ice crystals that form on the
surface of a plant during cold
weather. That chemical process
prevents the growth of large ice
crystals, which destroy the plant
by causing its cells to rupture.
The protein did not completely
stop ice crystals from forming,
said Maggie Smallwood, a
biochemist at the University of
York, who worked on the study.
"A small ice crystal is a lot less
damaging than a big ice crystal,"
she said. "The antifreeze protein
stops big crystals from forming."
Scientists have known of a
similar protein in arctic fish which
helps them survive subzero
temperatures, but this is the first
time the protein has been
identified in a plant. Not all plants
make the protein and the carrot
plant only produces it when the
weather turns cold, as a sort of
evolutionary trick to survive.
This research has other
possible applications including as
an additive to better protect frozen
foods such as strawberries that
normally do not freeze well.
— Source: Reuters News Agency
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