ZIFL1: the two-in-one gene

The discovery of a gene of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana 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 enhances plant growth and development, while in the leaves, from the same gene, another protein is produced that enables drought tolerance. Funded by FCT, the study had the collaboration of researchers from the Biological Sciences group of IBB/CEBQ (Instituto Superior Técnico), VIB/Ghent University (Belgium) and the Institute of Science and Technology (Austria).