Scientists have found a long-sought-after gene which controls when plants flower. The discovery, reported in Molecular Cell journal, could lead to a greater yield of crops such as rice and to faster-growing flowers such as orchids.
PhD student Wang Yu, who was at the National University of Singapore (NUS) but is currently at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), started out studying how a similar gene in humans affects cancer and Alzheimer's.
Singapore is the world's second largest exporter of orchids, which can take anything from three to five years to bloom. But through the discovery of this gene, Prof Yu, 38, has managed to speed up the process.
And NUS Assistant Professor Liou Yih-Cherng, who was in charge of the original work on the gene in mammals, said: "Knowing how this gene functions in plants helps us understand it better in humans and could lead to drug development for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's."
The Straits Times (Jan 16, 2010)
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