A study by the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) has identified a plant protein with drought tolerance to the vascular system of plants. The study has indicated that an increase in this protein, AtMC3, would increase the survival rate of plants in conditions of lack of water and it would improve its ability for photosynthesis. «This is a key finding to be able to adjust the primary responses to drought with respect to the whole plant without affecting the growth or yield of the crops,» said CRAG researcher Eugenia Pitsili. The levels of this protein have not caused any detrimental change in the quality of the vegetables.
The research, which has been published in the journal ‘New Phytologist’, has discovered that this the protein is found exclusively in phloem companion cellsthe vascular tissue that distributes the compounds produced in the leaves during photosynthesis to the entire plant.
When the plant faces drought, it synthesize various signaling molecules such as the ABA hormone to trigger a series of physiological responses that will protect the plant. In this sense, the study has pointed out that plants that do not have AtMC3 are less sensitive to ABA and, therefore, decreasing their ability to cope with drought stress.
The study has also pointed out that AtMC3 has an important role in the response of plants to osmotic stress and has pointed to a possible new role for companion cells in the detection of this stress.
The role of AtMC3 in drought stress matches the function of other proteins in the same family, related to responses to other types of stress such as that caused by pathogens or injuries.
Related news
The study has highlighted that, unlike animals, plants cannot move and that is why they have developed ways to cope with water scarcity and periods of drought stress. Even so, the climate crisis supposes – according to alert to the investigators – a serious threat for the agricultural productivity.
This research, led by the researcher Núria Sáncehz-Coll, opens the door to future studies to determine the exact mechanism of action of this protein and thus evaluate if it could have an application in crops of agronomic interest.