A newly discovered manipulation mechanism used by parasitic bacteria to slow down plant aging, may offer new ways to protect disease-threatened food crops. Research has identified a manipulation molecule produced by Phytoplasma bacteria to hijack plant development. When inside a plant, this protein causes key growth regulators to be broken down, triggering abnormal growth. The new findings show how the bacterial protein known as SAP05 manipulates plants by taking advantage of some of the host’s own molecular machinery.
