Plant Physiology Cover

Leaf senescence is a developmental program in which nutrients are recycled from leaves at the end of their lifespan. In annual plants, these recycled nutrients often support seed development. In deciduous trees, the nutrients can be stored in Autumn to support the growth of new tissues in the Spring. Thus leaf senescence is of great …

Predicting adult-onset diabetes

Fat cells may hold the key to predicting type 2 diabetes, a major cause of kidney failure, limb amputations, blindness, heart disease and stroke. The disease, also called adult-onset diabetes, affects 8 percent of the U.S. population age 20 or older. While more than 80 percent of diabetics are overweight, only 10 percent of obese …

Suttie Receives Distinguished Achievement Award

John Suttie, emeritus professor of biochemistry at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, has received the 22nd annual Bristol-Myers Squibb/Mead Johnson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Nutrition Research. He was honored for outstanding experimental work that has defined the molecular action of vitamin K and its function in blood clotting. Suttie accepted the award …

Novel Form of Vitamin D Shown to Grow Bone

A novel form of vitamin D has been shown to grow bone in the lab and in experimental animals, a result that holds promise for the estimated 44 million Americans, mostly post-menopausal women, who suffer from or are at risk for the bone-wasting disease osteoporosis. The research, conducted by a team of scientists led by …

Subtract a Gene and Feasting Mice Add No Fat

By subtracting a single gene from the genome of a mouse, scientists have created an animal that can eat a rich, high-fat diet without adding weight or risking the complications of diabetes, according to a new study published this week. Writing in the online editions of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), …