These Arabidopsis plants are part of studies to determine links between the plant defense system and circadian clock carried out by Hua Lu, professor of biological sciences at UMBC, and her lab members. The results could lead to plants that are more effective at fending off pathogens and pests or even influence human medical treatment. – Credit: Marlayna Demond for UMBC
These Arabidopsis plants are part of studies to determine links between the plant defense system and circadian clock carried out by Hua Lu, professor of biological sciences at UMBC, and her lab members. The results could lead to plants that are more effective at fending off pathogens and pests or even influence human medical treatment. – Credit: Marlayna Demond for UMBC
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)’s Hua Lu, professor of biological sciences, and colleagues have found new genetic links between a plant’s circadian rhythm (essentially, an internal clock) and its ability to fend off diseases and pests. The findings were 10 years in the making and published in Nature Communications this week. The results could eventually lead to plants that are more resistant to disease-causing pathogens and better treatment for human diseases.
“It’s quite cool,” Lu says, “because, in both plants and animals, people are beginning to study the crosstalk between the circadian clock and the immunity system.”
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