A team of Academia Sinica researchers yesterday unveiled a mechanism to enhance the environmental stress tolerance of rice plants by regulating enzymatic and sugary expression, saying that it would improve rice production under extreme weather conditions.
As rice is the staple food for nearly half of the global population, improving its production and resistance to environmental challenges is crucial, Institute of Molecular Biology distinguished research fellow Yu Su-may (余淑美) told a news conference in Taipei.
The issue has become more pressing, as the world’s population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
In addition to population growth, other challenges to rice production include extreme weather, such as heat waves and inadequate water supplies for agricultural use, she said.
To improve rice production, the team found that the key is regulation of the expression of the enzyme alpha-amylase, which hydrolyzes starch into sugars in plants and is induced by sugar starvation and repressed by sugar provision, Yu said.
The process can be regulated by adjusting the functions of two proteins called MYBS1 and MYBS2, which are transcription factors competing to bind to the enzyme to either promote or repress its sugar induction, she said.
Under a low sugar level, MYBS1 will enter cell nuclei to promote alpha-amylase’s expression, while MYBS2 will restrict its expression when the sugar level is high, Yu said.
When MYBS2 is suppressed in a dry and hot environment, the enzyme alpha-amylase is induced to hydrolyze starch in sugars, she said.
After nearly six years of research, the team found — using gene editing techniques — that controlling the expressions of MYBS2 and alpha-amylase in rice plants can enhance their production and stress resistance, she added.
Gene-edited rice plants are 1.5 larger than non-modified plants, and they can survive in temperatures up to 42°C and with 20 percent less water, Yu said.
However, whether the gene editing technique influences the nutrition and flavor of rice requires more research, she said.
Other team members include David Ho (賀端華), a distinguished research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, and Lu Chung-an (陸重安), associate professor at the National Central University’s Department of Life Sciences.
Their findings were published on Oct. 22 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS