Molecular Analyses of Polyamine Synthesis in Higher Plants

Le résumé fourni par la source

Polyamines and the polyamine-conjugates in plants have been correlated with a wide array of phenomena in higher plants 1 (also, see other chapters in this volume), yet it is difficult to precisely pin down what their specific role is in any physiological process. In part this is due to a common difficulty with studies involving any putative growth regulator. How is one to prove that a given correlation of a growth response with the dramatic change in concentration of a compound is meaningful or part of the primary event, as opposed to coincidental, or a secondary consequence. How does one prove causation? One of the approaches being taken by several laboratories is an analysis of polyamine synthesis at the molecular level. At a minimum, this should allow a deeper analysis of the many phenomena associated with polyamines. The use of transgenic plants may eventually allow some of the hypotheses about polyamine function to be tested. While it is not clear that these molecular analyses will cut through the causation dilemma, they should provide a first step in that direction by permitting a more mechanistic approach.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.