The Sun emitted
a strong solar flare, peaking at 10:33 p.m. ET on March 28, 2023. NASA’s Solar Dynamics
Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an
image of the event.
NASA’s
Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in
the bright flash on the bottom right of the Sun – on March 28, 2023. The image
shows a subset of extreme ultraviolet light that highlights the extremely hot
material in flares and which is colorized in teal. Credit: NASA/SDO
Solar flares are powerful bursts of
energy. Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric
power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
This flare is classified as an X1.2
flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides
more information about its strength.
To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please
visit NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center https://spaceweather.gov/, the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts,
watches, warnings, and alerts. NASA works as a research arm of the nation’s space weather effort.
NASA observes the Sun and our space environment constantly with a fleet of
spacecraft that study everything from the Sun’s activity to the solar
atmosphere, and to the particles and magnetic fields in the space surrounding
Earth.
Identification of SB as a selective ABA
receptor agonist and structural analysis of the CsPYL1-SB-AtHAB1ΔN complex.(A) PP2C inhibition assay in the presence of 100 μM
SB and the indicated ABA receptors. Values represent means ± SD of
two assays. (B) Chemical structure of SB and half-maximal
inhibitory concentrations (IC50) values for ABA- or SB-dependent inhibition of ΔNHAB1 by
AtPYL1, AtPYL5, and AtPYL10. (C) Inhibition of seedling establishment by 1 μM ABA and 50 to
100 μM SB in WT Col-0 and either AtPYL5- or AtPYL10-overexpressing lines.
Pictures were taken at day 4. (D) Quantification of ABA- or SB-mediated inhibition of root
growth in the indicated genotypes. Seedlings were grown in plates supplemented
with 0.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (mock), 50 μM SB, or 10 μM ABA. Values are
means ± SD of three independent experiments (n = 13 to 16). Asterisks indicate
statistical significance (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001) in Student’s t test compared to its corresponding
DMSO-treated line. (E) Ribbon representation of the overall
CsPYL1-SB-AtHAB1ΔN ternary complex. Ligand (SB, QB, or ABA) binding in the
ternary complex occurs in the closed conformation of the receptor that fits
into the active site of the HAB1 phosphatase. (F) Superimposition of SB and QB in the ligand-binding site of
CsPYL1. The steric hinderance between the oxygen of SB’s SO2 group and Val110 of CsPYL1 is represented as red arcs. (G) Detailed section of the SB (left) and QB (right)
binding sites showing hydrogen bonding pattern of interactions between the
ligand and CsPYL1:HAB1 complex. Credit: Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade9948
Abscisic
acid (ABA) is a plant hormone with essential functions in plant physiology. It
is involved in developmental and growth processes and the adaptive stress
response. Thus, the plant adaptation to stress situations caused by water
deficit can be favored by activating this phytohormone pathway. In this
project, the teams led by Pedro Luis Rodríguez at the IBMCP in Valencia and
Armando Albert at the IQRF in Madrid developed a genetic-chemical method to
activate this route in an inducible way and without penalizing plant growth.
Based on the atomic structure of the
proteins involved and using genetic engineering techniques, CSIC researchers
have created a modified ABA receptor activated by a mimetic molecule called
iSB09. According to the results of their study, now published in the journal Science Advances, plants carrying this
modified receptor and treated with iSB09 show high tolerance to drought.
"This combination efficiently
activates the ABA pathway and generates protection by triggering the plant's
adaptive mechanisms," says Pedro Luis Rodríguez from the IBMCP (CSIC-UPV).
"Individually, the iSB09 molecule also reduces water loss by transpiration in tomato plants," he
adds.
"This is the first time that an ABA
receptor has been modified in crop plants to adapt it to a molecule mimicking the
phytohormone," says Armando Albert from IQRF-CSIC. "This molecule is
more persistent than the ABA hormone itself, which has a short half-life and
can be added at the right time to protect the plant in drought
situations," explains the CSIC researcher.
Drugs against drought. Credit: UPV
According to the study, this
combination makes it possible to reduce the dose of agrochemicals used on crop
plants because the mix with the modified receptor enhances the effect of the
molecule. "We aim to improve the plant's resistance to drought and even,
in extreme cases, to allow them to survive until irrigation is restored,"
reveals Pedro Luis Rodríguez. "The aim is to develop drugs against drought
by applying the advanced molecular knowledge developed in the plant
world," he says.
To carry out this work, the CSIC
researchers have used strategies previously applied in the biomedicine field
(known as 'drug discovery'), but in this case, transferred to agricultural
biotechnology. The method has been protected by a CSIC-UPV patent, as the
Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants is a joint center.
According to the researchers,
"The iSB09 molecule will have to pass food safety studies like any other
agrochemical, something that the company that exploits this molecule will be in
charge of. The introduction of the modified receptor, like all genetic modification, is pending changes in European legislation, for
example, the acceptance of the CRISPR technique in agricultural biotechnology.
But companies can use this approach in other countries where it is
allowed."
The Tarantula Nebula, also
known as 30 Doradus, is more than a thousand light-years in diameter, a giant
star forming region within nearby satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. About 180 thousand light-years away, it’s the largest, most violent
star forming region known in the whole Local Group of galaxies. The cosmic
arachnid sprawls across this magnificent view, an assembly of image data from large space- and ground-based
telescopes. Within the Tarantula (NGC 2070), intense radiation,
stellar winds, and supernova shocks from the central young cluster of massive
stars cataloged as R136 energize the nebular glow and shape the spidery
filaments. Around the Tarantula are other star forming regions with young star clusters,
filaments, and blown-out bubble-shaped clouds. In fact, the frame includes the site of the closest
supernova in modern times, SN 1987A, at lower right. The rich field of view spans about 2 degrees or 4 full
moons, in the southern constellation Dorado. But were the Tarantula Nebula closer, say 1,500 light-years distant
like the Milky Way’s own star forming Orion Nebula, it would take up half the sky.
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