Why fruits ripen and flowers die: Salk scientists discover how key plant hormone is triggered
Friday, February 13, 2009 - 10:22
in Biology & Nature
Best known for its effects on fruit ripening and flower fading, the gaseous plant hormone ethylene shortens the shelf life of many fruits and plants by putting their physiology on fast-forward. In recent years, scientists learned a lot about the different components that transmit ethylene signals inside cells. But a central regulator of ethylene responses, a protein known as EIN2, resisted all their efforts.