-Anuska Sen, Team bioXone
In the last decade, the issue of increasing heat stress has become an area of concern among biologists all over the world. There are hundreds of molecular biology techniques that are being used and improvised to enhance thermo-tolerance in plants. However, a recent study using transcriptomic analysis claims that humic acid not only helps in plant growth by increasing the fertility of the soil, but it also enhances the ability of plants to tolerate heat stress.
The study has identified certain heat-responsive genes, known as Heat-shock protein-coding (HSP) genes to be significantly up-regulated on being exposed to humic acid. On being positively regulated, these HSP genes help in boosting heat tolerance either by preventing the denaturation of various cellular proteins or by helping in renaturation of these proteins that are denatured due to the heat stress.
In this way, humic acid can play a significant role in the enhancement of heat tolerance in plants. Thus, this study provides another potential approach that can be implemented for improved thermo-tolerance in plants.
This article has been published in Nature
Source: Cha, J., Kang, S., Ali, I., Lee S.C., Ji M.G., Jeong S.Y., Shin G.I., Kim M.G., Jeon J.R., Kim W.Y.; Humic acid enhances heat stress tolerance via transcriptional activation of Heat-Shock Proteins in Arabidopsis. Scientific Report 10, 15042 (2020).
PerkinElmer Biochemistry Application Scientist Job – MSc & PhD Apply
-Shristi Sharma, Team bioXone PerkinElmer is a global technology leader driving growth and initiative in the Environmental and Human Health Science markets. PerkinElmer Genomics is one of the world’s largest providers of newborn screening services and offers comprehensive genetic testing solutions that help provide insight into the complex nature of rare and inherited diseases. The […]