ZIFL1: the two-in-one gene

The discovery of a gene in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant responsible for two different functions was published in the scientific journal The Plant Cell, in a study by a group of scientists from the Gulbenkian Science Institute (IGC). In the plant's root, the ZIFL1 gene produces a protein that promotes plant growth and development, while in the leaves, the same gene produces another protein that enables drought tolerance. Funded by FCT, the study involved the collaboration of researchers from the Biological Sciences group at IBB/CEBQ (Instituto Superior Técnico), VIB/Ghent University (Belgium), and the Institute of Science and Technology (Austria).