Force-sensing PIEZO proteins are at work in plants, too

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IMAGE: Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant commonly known as thale cress, is often used as a laboratory model to study the molecular underpinning of plant biology. Scripps Research scientists have shown that...
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Credit: Seyed Ali Reza Mousavi, PhD / Scripps Research
LA JOLLA, CA--A family of proteins that sense mechanical force--and enable our sense of touch and many other important bodily functions--also are essential for proper root growth in some plants, according to a study led by scientists at Scripps Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
The discovery, published in the
points to an ancient evolutionary origin for the PIEZO proteins, which until now had mainly been characterized in animals. This advance in basic biology may also lead to new strategies for improving crop yields, the researchers say.

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