Flowering discovery in peach took a long route to publication
A protein found in peaches could offer striking applications for agricultural industries, as well as human health—so why did it take almost seven years to publish?
Dr. Sherif Sherif, a post-doctoral researcher in plant agriculture, was studying the role of a multi-step chemical reaction—called the jasmonic acid pathway—in plant disease resistance as a part of a PhD project seven years ago when he made a startling finding.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”…peaches, unlike other plants, flower only once a year…”[/pullquote]Working alongside plant agriculture Prof. Jay Subramanian, Sherif discovered a gene that changes into a protein called JAZ1. While this protein has no evident function in disease resistance, it does control a plant trait called cleistogamy—when a flower closes its petals and automatically self-pollinates—which results in robust production of fruits or vegetables, but reduced pollen output.
“No one before us has shown that a gene can control the process of closing a flower, which is very exciting,” says Subramanian.
For students interested in pursuing a PhD or Master’s degree, Sherif and Subramanian’s study shows just how much time and work goes on behind the scenes of publishing research in journals.
“It was a very lengthy project for several different reasons,” says Subramanian. “One being that peaches, unlike other plants, flower only once a year—and the window is barely a week. So, if you miss that one, then you miss the season and have to wait for the next year.”
Introducing the JAZ1 gene into tobacco plants—chosen as a model system because they consistently cross-pollinate—Sherif then found that the gene could induce the tobacco plant to close and self-pollinate. If researchers are able to naturally cause plants like canola or soybeans to undergo cleistogamy with the JAZ1 protein, they could reduce the amount of pollen released into the air. This action could result in a reduction of genetically modified plant contamination, as well as help allergy sufferers.
“We think every species has its analog, its equivalent of the gene—and how that gene interacts with other genes will go on a crop by crop basis,” says Subramanian.
Another reason for the length of the project is something all researchers will know about: peer review. Upon submission, journals told Sherif and Subramanian they needed to also do a quantification of the hormones. Anticipating this, Sherif and Subramanian collaborated with individuals at the University of Singapore for the analysis of the hormones.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”If it was a model plant or a crop plant like rice or wheat, then the big journals would want that. If it’s in peaches, they aren’t as interested.”[/pullquote]Yet even after completing the additional studies, it took Sherif and Subramanian another two years to get their work published. Why? Because they were working with peaches.
“We went to all the big journals and most of them wouldn’t even look at it. If it was a model plant or a crop plant like rice or wheat, then the big journals would want that. If it’s in peaches, they aren’t as interested,” says Subramanian.
Despite the challenges, Sherif and Subramanian did end up getting their work published in a general biology journal as opposed to a plant science journal. The response has been enormous.
“We got an email from the journal that published it afterwards saying that the article had been accessed something like 2700 times—within four months or so.”
Now in the hands of other researchers, Sherif and Subramanian’s work on this project is done. Their next project? Continuing their original research in disease resistance and seeing what new peachy possibilities are there.
Collaborators on this research project included molecular and cellular biology Prof. Jaideep Mathur, plant agriculture Prof. Gopinadhan Paliyath, former research associate Dr. Islam El-Sharkawy and University of Singapore researcher Dr. Prakash Kumar. This research was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education—Egypt, Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board, and Mitacs grants.