Gene of the month - Superman

And finally, our gene of the month is Superman!
04 October 2012

Interview with 

Kat Arney

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And finally, our gene of the month is Superman! This time, the name comes from the world of plant genetics, as the gene was first discovered in Arabidopsis - a type of cress that's often used as a model plant. Flowers from plants with a faulty version of Superman have extra male parts - the pollen-producing stamens - and fewer carpels, the female seed-producing bits. Superman is switched on very early on in flower development, and it plays an important part in distinguishing these different organs. In 2002 there was an interesting plot twist, when researchers in the US discovered another gene that switched off Superman in plant cells. What else could they name it but Kryptonite? And finally, there's one more related gene - a weaker version of the Superman gene, dubbed - of course - Clark Kent.

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