Bug's Signal Helps its Army as Also Alert Target
Tuesday, 20 December 2011, 17:55 IST
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Washington: A signal emanating from invading bugs not only helps them organize but also alerts their intended target, the rice plants, to activate their defense mechanisms! This new finding could lead to new methods of combating infection not just in plants, but in humans too, according to a new study by University of California-Davis (UCD). This signaling protein, Ax21, is also present in human disease-causing bugs and is known to infect indoor patients. "Just as invading armies often use coded messages to coordinate attacks on their targets, so single-celled bacteria use biological signals to communicate when they attack plants and animals," said Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology at the UCD, who led the study. Until now, scientists thought that two major groups of bugs used two types of communication codes, Ronald said. However Ax21, the small bug protein, doesn't fit into either of those codes. It tips off other bugs to assemble into protective bunkers, called biofilms, which make them resistant to drying out and antibiotic treatment, according to a California statement. However, an immune receptor called XA21 that some rice plants carry, detects the Ax21 protein and alerts the plant to mount powerful defences against invading bugs.
Source: IANS
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