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One single protein, one big decision: how brown algae know when to reproduce
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Pressemitteilungen - idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Instanz: TeilenTeilen:One single protein, one big decision: how brown algae know when to reproduceBeatriz Lucas Presse- und ÖffentlichkeitsarbeitMax-Planck-Institut für Biologie Tübingen29.01.2026 10:21Researchers discover an unexpectedly simple mechanism that controls life cycle in algae.
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biology have discovered a remarkably streamlined strategy for developmental control in brown algae.
They could show that a single ARGONAUTE (AGO) protein orchestrates the transition from vegetative growth to sexual reproduction and directs germline establishment.
Surprisingly, brown algae, however, encode only one single AGO protein and this one lone protein plays a big role.
It shows that brown algae, unlike plants and animals, manage life cycle transitions using a single AGO protein in combination with minimalistic but sophisticated interactions with small RNAs.