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A team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) has participated in an international study that has identified a key gene in the formation of prickles in several plant species. The gene is called LOG (LOnely Guy), and its discovery opens the door to the development of new varieties without prickles of crops such as aubergines, blackberries and ornamental plants such as roses. Their findings are published in Science.

The study has been led by the Research Institute for the Preservation and Improvement of Valencian Agrodiversity (COMAV) of the UPV and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York (USA), one of the world's most prestigious institutions in genetics and molecular biology. 19 institutions from countries such as France, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom were also involved in the project.

Their work will help us understand how these defence structures have evolved similarly in plants millions of years apart. They have studied the genetic mechanisms behind the presence of prickles in plants such as roses, aubergines, and jujubes, which are species commonly used as a defence against herbivores.

And using genetic mapping techniques and multiple crosses carried out over nearly a decade, they discovered that the LOG gene, which is involved in the synthesis of cytokinins (plant hormones), is central to the formation of these prickles and other sharp plant structures, such as those found on the awns of cereals and in a wide range of crop-related wild species.

Roses and "desert grapes" without prickles

Using the CRISPR/Cas gene-editing technique, they removed prickles from several species, including 'desert grapes' in Australia, which are eaten by indigenous people but are difficult to grow because of their prickles. In roses, by silencing a homologue of the LOG gene, plants without prickles were obtained, which has significant implications for ornamental horticulture and marketing.

Easy to use and highly effective

According to the UPV team, the application of this technique is relatively simple and would have great impact and benefits: "Eliminating prickles would facilitate the handling and harvesting of crops, reduce the risk of injury to agricultural workers and reduce post-harvest damage caused by prickles," says Jaime Prohens, a researcher at the UPV's COMAV and one of the authors of the study.

Prohens also points out that using these techniques would also reduce production costs and increase profitability for farmers. "In addition, obtaining new varieties without prickles could lead to greater acceptance and consumption by consumers. All of these would be benefits," concludes Jaime Prohens.

Reference

James W. Satterlee et al. Convergent evolution of plant prickles by repeated gene co-option over deep time. Science 385, eado1663 (2024). DOI:10.1126/science.ado1663

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