Mystery unveiled for an exploration into the mysteries of cell growth
Plants resistant to a key inhibitor, with a strong influence on the process of cell growth, have been discovered by a team from BIAM. This is an asset for a better understanding of plant growth regulation, with potential implications in both the food security sector and the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancers. The study […]
A sustainable synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles
for environmentally-friendly biotechnological applications
Researchers at BIAM drew inspiration from the natural processes encountered in magnetotactic bacteria to synthesize magnetite nanoparticles. This promising biomimetic approach opens up various avenues of sustainable and eco-friendly applications, ranging from water purification to biomedical advancements. Magnetotactic bacteria, naturally proficient in biomineralization, produce magnetosomes (magnetite nanoparticles) using a mineral precursor stabilized by macromolecules. This […]
Development of a technique for visualizing phosphate
distribution directly at the heart of plant tissues
A colorimetric method for the visual detection of intracellular phosphate distribution in plants has been developed by a Franco-Chinese collaboration involving a BIAM team. This method, called IOSA, highlights the uneven distribution of inorganic phosphate in cell tissues, opening up attractive prospects for the plant physiology sector. Overview of cellular distribution of Pi in leaves […]
Unveiling the mechanisms of plant adaptation to environmental constraints
Researchers from the BIAM’s Plant Protective Proteins (PPV) team have characterized one of the mechanisms allowing plants to respond to environmental fluctuations that modify metabolism and limit growth. This result, established in partnership with teams from the CEA and CNRS, could help improving plants’ ability to adapt to climate change. Stomata, located on the leaf […]
Some pearl millet genotypes store atmospheric carbon more efficiently than others in the soil
A scientific collaboration has just demonstrated that it is possible to quantify the rhizodeposition of carbon by pearl millet and its storage in the soil, over just a few weeks of growth, thanks to the measurement of the natural abundances of carbon isotopes (δ13C and F14C). The comparison of different inbred pearl millet genotypes made […]
An unusual nucleotide that protects plants during starvation
A BIAM team has discovered that a plant molecule acts as a natural brake on photosynthesis when plants grow in nutrient poor soil. This brake is necessary for avoiding irreversible damage, and allows plants to survive longer in these difficult conditions. This discovery could help towards the development of resilient crops capable of adapting to […]
Live visualization of gene transcription in all cells of a plant
press release A CEA and CNRS research team has made it possible for the first time to visualise the transcription of genetic information (copying of DNA into messenger RNA) in all the cells of young plants in real time and with a level of definition never before achieved. These results highlight numerous biomechanisms in response […]
Soil bacteria preserved from uranium ion toxicity by a uranium-iron binding protein
collaboration involving the CEA-BIAM and the CEA-Joliot has revealed a mechanism that would allow soil bacteria to protect themselves against uranium in the environment. Access of the radionuclide to the cell would be blocked by a protein capable of binding not only uranium but also iron. Figure 1 : les souches ViU2A, HG3 et A9 […]
Bacterial radioresistance: Zinc, a precious metal!
After having characterized in 2014 and in 2019 the pair of proteins offering Deinococcus bacteria an extreme resistance to radiation, BIAM researchers have just discovered that the molecular signal serving as a switch to this resistance process is a metal, Zinc! This mechanism would also contribute to the virulence of certain pathogens. A discovery that […]
Functioning of a key photoenzyme decrypted
The functioning of the FAP enzyme, useful for producing biofuels and green chemistry, has been deciphered. This result mobilized an international team of scientists, including many French researchers from CEA, CNRS, Inserm, École Polytechnique, the universities of Grenoble Alpes, Paris-Saclay and Aix-Marseille, as well as the European Synchrotron and the Synchrotron SOLEIL. This discovery is […]