Scientists create plants that glow thanks to the mushroom's genes

A new technique unravels plant activity and can be used to uniquely decorate homes.

A species of tree that emits a strange blue glow that looks like a canopy in computer games in the 90s, but they are actually created by scientists in the lab.

Bioluminescence can help scientists explore the inner workings of plants.

The researchers say that sparkling blue light not only brings home decoration effects, but also opens a new path for scientists to explore the mechanism of action inside plants.

Dr Karen Sarkisyan of Imperial College London, who led the research, said in the future the technology could be applied to display different hormones in the tissues of plants throughout their life cycle. Absolutely no need to invade the tree.

We can also use this technology to track plant responses to environmental changes, such as drought or attack by herbivores. Dr Sarkisyan said: 'In the next few years, we will study to make the trees have better light and safety standards, hoping that we will then release these plants. bonsai market ".

Many animals, microorganisms and fungi - from fireflies to honey mushrooms - are capable of glowing. This phenomenon is called bioluminescence. It occurs when enzymes react with the luciferin chemicals in the organism to release energy in the form of light. However, biological luminescence is not naturally produced in tree species.

This is not the first time scientists have created a species of green sparkling plants. In previous studies, the researchers introduced both luciferin and necessary enzymes into the plants through nanoparticles, even incorporating bioluminescent bacterial genes into the plants.

However, these studies have the disadvantage of introducing luciferin into the more expensive and unsustainable micro-particles, and the integration of bacterial bioluminescence gene requires a cumbersome process that only creates out very weak light. In addition, the integrated method of bacterial genes is toxic to plants.

The new research is done in a different way: using a recently discovered process: mushrooms emit light . The team says this is important because the process uses luciferin generated from a naturally occurring chemical in plants, caffeic acid .

Glowing flowers.

In an article published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, Dr. Sarkisyan and colleagues in Russia and Austria describe how they implanted four genes of a glowing mushroom called Neonothopanus nambi into tobacco DNA.

These genes are involved in enzymes that convert caffeic acid into a luciferin, and the luciferin radiates energy in the form of light before turning it back into caffeic acid. As a result, the plants glow green with visible color to the naked eye. They glisten both in the dark night and in the daylight. They are 10 times brighter than the light emitted by bacterial genes.

The team found that the luminescence position changes as the tree grows and the luminescence usually decreases as the leaves grow older and increases when the leaves are damaged. The flowers are most luminescent - the team said. In the future, they will transplant the mushroom's gene into a plant's DNA near genes that are activated by certain hormones.

Professor Gary Foster of the University of Bristol, UK, an expert on molecular plant diseases, thinks that glowing plants are primarily used by scientists rather than as plant-based traffic lights, but Therefore, this research result is not well received.

He said: 'So far, many genes have determined that light-emitting properties must have special light sources and cameras to determine where light is emitted, but this new research has helped determine where light is emitted. easier'.

Professor John Carr of the University of Cambridge, UK, also highly appreciates this research, but he also thinks more research is needed. The challenge now is to find a way to make this bioluminescence respond to specific environmental, developmental, chemical, or pathogenic stimuli. In doing so, this technique will be extremely useful because it will shed light on basic biological processes.

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