- Fluorescence in plants
All
plants ,algae , andcyanobacteria are naturallyfluorescent , sincechlorophyll a is fluorescent. Some flowers also contain other more visibly fluorescent pigments like betaxanthins, increasing visibility to pollinators.Plants have also been genetically modified to fluoresce. Fluorescing
transgenes are used in plants as reporters of gene expression "in vivo ". Fluorescentantibodies are used to visualize protein localization "in vitro ". There are many types of fluorescent proteins (green fluorescent protein ) that absorb and emit at different wavelengths. This enables the production of many differently labeled fluorescent molecules in a single plant.Plant fluorescence is being found to be highly useful for the
University of Florida and theNASA staff. These individuals are working together to learn more about the planetMars . These scientists and engineers have chosen theArabidopsis mustard plant, for many reasons, to go to Mars. Reporter genes have been added to this plant to glow for different environmental “stressors”. These stressors include temperature, drought, disease, metal content in the soil, peroxides, etc. Each stressor will glow at a different wavelength that will be monitored. By doing such an experiment more will be learned about the environment on Mars in order to modify plant life to be able to survive there.ources
* [http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/print/2001/01_0426.html UF/IFAS News Release]
* [http://wwwnotes2.leeds.ac.uk/cuttings.nsf/0/46ac95323ad033f380256ae3003a1af3?OpenDocument University of Leeds]
* [http://www.biotech.vt.edu/about/faculty/jelesko/jelesko.html Fralin Biotechnology Center]
* [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9122158&dopt=Abstract Entrez PubMed]
* [http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050917/fob3.asp Science News Online]
* [http://www.wettropics.gov.au/pa/pa_glowing.html Wet Tropics]
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