New insights: how plants distribute vital amino acids
© Franziska Kuhnert
Plants produce all the amino acids that humans need to survive. This process often takes place in specialized cell organelles called plastids. A research team has now deciphered the mechanism by which plants transport these amino acids throughout their organisms. In the journal Nature Plants, the researchers describe both the process and the class of transport proteins involved. The findings may also contribute to the cultivation of crops enriched with essential amino acids, giving them particularly high nutritional value.