Authors: (Runyararo Memory Hove, Mrinal Bhave, Environment and Biotechnology Centre, Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia)
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Abstract:
Wheat is the largest food crop that humans rely on, and as such, the world wheat production is expected to keep pace with demands of the growing population and changing climate. There are also new pressures on cereal grains from the bioethanol industries. However, wheat as well as other cereals are severely affected by climatic factors such as salinity, drought, and nutrient deficiency or toxicity in a number of areas around the world. These environmental stresses variously impact plant growth, health, nutritional value and crop yields in various geographic regions and climates. A number of genetic factors are known to participate in the responses of plants to abiotic stresses, and involve interacting networks of specific genes and proteins with the ultimate goal of stress tolerance. Aquaporins, members of the major intrinsic protein (MIP) family, are channel proteins located in cellular membranes, and their roles in water uptake in plants are now well established. In addition, recent years have seen an explosion in the number of substrates found to be transported by these channels, many of the substrates being of physiological importance. Further, aquaporins are also shown to contribute to processes such as germination, plant development and photosynthesis. In this work, the key biochemical properties of aquaporins will be summarised, followed by an overview of the main subfamilies of MIPs, the types of substrates that permeate through these channels and their effects on plant physiology, and perspectives on applications of these proteins in cereal biotechnology. |
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