Shown is the activity of the SMXL4 gene (yellow) in very early phloem cells of the root tip of Arabidopsis thaliana.
In experiments on transport tissues in plants, researchers from Heidelberg University were able to identify factors of crucial importance for the formation of the plant tissue known as phloem. According to Thomas Greb of the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), these factors differ from all previously known factors that trigger the specification of cells. The findings of the Heidelberg researchers substantially expand our understanding of the metabolic processes in plants. Their Phloem, also called bast, is a vascular tissue that runs through all the organs of plants. It transports sugars formed in the leaves during photosynthesis. "In the course of our research on plant development, we discovered three main factors that are critical for the formation of phloem," states Thomas Greb. These factors are the proteins SMXL3, SMXL4, and SMXL5.
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