One might not expect that humans and the plant kingdom share an average of 20-50% of DNA.And just as unexpectedly, by studying how plant growth is controlled, it is possible to discover potentialcancer treatmentmethod.Although unimaginable, scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York recently discovered aproteinactivity may be related tocancer cellgrowth is related.
Life began with RNA theory gains new support
Research progress of plant protein
Established in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has outstanding research results in the fields of cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, and quantitative biology. Their initial goal was to advance agriculture through this research, but they made unexpected discoveries along the way.
The team’s results describe how proteins called UBP12 and UBP13 help regulate a protein called cryptochrome 2 (CRY2)photoreceptor. CRY2 is a photoreceptor that senses blue light and long-wave ultraviolet light (UVA, wavelengths between 320-400 nanometers) and is responsible for controlling plant growth. Specifically, in plants, UBP12 and UBP13 proteins help degrade CRY2 photoreceptors. In low light conditions, the concentration of these two proteins increases, allowing CRY2 to be degraded more quickly, which can promote the growth of long stems, or help plants get more light.
The researchers also found that simply increasing the concentrations of UBP12 and UBP13 replicated the above effects. Because plants need the right amount of CRY2 to control when they grow and flower, adjusting the concentration of these proteins may be useful if farmers or botanists need to increase crop yields or delay flowering. Understanding the mechanisms behind plant growth could lead to a range of potential economic and medical benefits.
Dr Pedmale said: “We already have a way of understanding plant growth – we can manipulate plant growth just by manipulating two proteins. We have found a way to actually increase the production of flowers. Flowering is a necessary process for obtaining food. If there are no flowers, there is no grain, no rice, no wheat, no corn.”
Application of plant protein in human body
In humans, the equivalent of CRY2 is HCRY (Human Cryptochrome 2).The protein is a flavoprotein, which is also sensitive to blue light and has the ability to regulate the human body.daily routinefunction. HCRY1 and HCRY2 proteins form a negative feedback loop by acting as transcriptional repressors.
The sequence of HCRY2 is highly conserved throughout the animal kingdom, which means that this protein is very important in animal life. When coding errors occur, people suffer from sleep disturbances. This problem is in turn linked to disruption of circadian rhythms and, in the long run, increased rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. In-depth study of human CRY proteins may help make human circadian rhythms more tolerant of changes and allow people to better manage modern life without causing disease.
Dr. Pedmale’s lab and their colleagues at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory hope that this series of findings will bear fruit in cancer research and growth management of other species.
Author: Eduardo Longoria
Compilation: Richard Chou
original:Why CRY2 matters: Studying Control of Plants and Human Growth – GeneOnline News
Further reading: Gene editing “Swiss knife”? Editing proteins from archaea, half the size of CRISPR!
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