Plant gene clusters for natural products

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Oat roots producing avenacin which is fluorescent under UV light. Credit: JIC
Oat roots producing avenacin, which is fluorescent under UV light. Credit: JIC

John Innes Centre scientists have found that plants may cluster the genes needed to make defence chemicals. Their findings may provide a way to discover new natural plant products of use as drugs, herbicides or crop protectants. Using a gene cluster that makes an antifungal compound in oats as a template, they uncovered a previously unknown gene cluster making a related compound in a very different species, and now want to extend the search to other plants.


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