Structure revealed: Plant sugar transporter involved in carbon sequestration
Monday, October 19, 2015 - 13:30
in Biology & Nature
Plants are surrounded by and closely associated with microbes. The majority of these are beneficial, but some can cause devastating disease. Plants feed these microbes just enough to allow the good ones to grow and prevent the bad ones from gaining strength. This system of microbe-feeding is mediated by proteins called sugar transporters. Researchers have unraveled the molecular structure of SWEET2, a transporter that plays a critical role in limiting the root microbe sugar supply.