Mutant gene of snapdragons enhances photosynthesis by causing leaves to grow flat through uniform cell growth.

Plants usually grow flat leaves to maximize the amount of sunlight they capture for . And now we know how. Unchecked, a leaf is more likely to be curved than flat. The leaf will buckle if cells near the edge grow more rapidly than cells near the center, and if the opposite happens the leaf becomes cup-shaped. Now it appears that the snapdragon uses a gene called CIN to ensure that cells in all regions of the leaf grow at a uniform rate, keeping the surface flat. (Courtesy of the Guild)

Last Updated August 18, 2016