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 Instituto Gulbenkian Ciência (IGC). In the root of the plant, the ZIFL1 gene produces a protein that boosts the plant's growth and development, while in the leaves, another protein is produced from the same gene 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).