Science's new discovery: recognized anti-aging skin care ingredients can also promote plant root growth

What do frog eggs and anti-aging creams have in common? Their success depends on a group of compounds called retinoids, which are able to generate and regenerate tissues
.

A new study of plants shows that the tissue production capacity of retinoids is also related to the proper development of roots
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If you have ever planted radish seeds, you will know that the first thing it does is to grow a long vertical root
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These lateral roots do not stick out randomly
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In a new study published in the journal Science on August 26, a research team led by Alexandra Dickinson, assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego, and Philip Benfey at Duke University, identified a key role in triggering the development of lateral roots in plants.
Compound
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In humans and all vertebrates, turning a fertilized egg into an embryo with a beating heart requires stem cells to differentiate, specialize, and generate specific tissues, such as bones, blood vessels, and nervous system
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Dickinson said: "We know that plants have the ability to produce this compound.
It is very important for animal development, so it is necessary to examine its role in plant development
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In order for plants to make better use of the retina, retinoid molecules must form a label set with proteins in plant cells.
This process is called protein binding
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To test whether the retinoids actually affected the development of lateral roots, Dickinson and her team treated the seedlings with a dye that would emit light when the retinoids bind to proteins in the cells
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As the seedlings develop, this process will be repeated periodically, which indicates that there is a peak of retinal binding before the growth of the lateral roots
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To confirm their findings, the research team applied retinoids directly to the taproot of the plant
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More precisely, the research team used a compound that prevents plants from producing retinoids and observed that these seedlings rarely produce lateral roots
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Then they directly implanted retinoids into the main roots of these seedlings, and sure enough, the lateral roots began to develop where the retinoids were implanted
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"All our views on this issue are very positive," Benfey said
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"If the embryo lacks retinoids during development, it will have developmental defects, which is strikingly similar to the situation of plants and their lateral roots
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The similarities don't stop there: the cells of animal embryos rely on special proteins to obtain retinoids from the surrounding environment
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The research team found that the proteins used by plants to connect retinoids are similar to those in animal cells.
They are different, but have similar structures and shapes
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Benfey said: "The discovery of the signal that triggers root development and the protein that binds it is very exciting
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Plants and vertebrates are very different creatures, and their evolutionary paths diverged 1.
5 billion years ago
.
These two organisms use closely related compounds to produce new tissues during their development.
This is an example of similar solutions to similar problems in two completely different organisms in nature.
This phenomenon is called For "convergent evolution"
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Retinoids have many medical uses, from acne creams to cancer treatments
.
Discovering the exact way they regulate the development of plant root tissue will open a whole new door for us
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Dickinson said: "We have discovered a new way to provide information to cells and persuade them to build a new organ instead of completing the work originally assigned to them
.
" "So, maybe we can extract from plants.
Something and use it to better understand what is happening in humans
.
"

(Biocom)

Journal Reference :

1. Alexandra J.
   Dickinson, Jingyuan Zhang, Michael Luciano, Guy Wachsman, Evan Sandoval, Martin Schnermann, José R.
   Dinneny, Philip N.
   Benfey.
   A plant lipocalin promotes retinal-mediated oscillatory lateral root initiation .
   Science , 2021; eabf7461 DOI: 10.
   1126/science.
   abf7461