Optogenetics in Tobacco Plant (IMAGE)

University of Würzburg

Optogenetics in Tobacco Plant

Caption

With two additional genes for the enzyme dioxygenase and the light-controlled anion channel ACR1, the tobacco plant can channel salt ions across the cell membrane when exposed to green light. The success can be seen in the experiment: While pollen tubes normally grow in the direction of the egg cell for fertilization, in genetically modified cells they change the direction of growth depending on the exposure to light.

Credit

Graphic: Dr. Kai Konrad

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