Potassium is one of the nutrients that plants need in large quantities. However, the amount of potassium in the soil can vary greatly: potassium-poor soils can contain up to a thousand times less of this nutrient than potassium-rich soils. To be able to react flexibly to these differences, plants have developed mechanisms with which they adapt their potassium uptake to the respective soil condition.

Like the cells of the human body, plant cells also work with an operating potassium concentration of around 100 millimolar. If the roots find a potassium source with a significantly lower concentration or only traces of it, they can only absorb the potassium into their cells by expending energy. This is achieved by the interaction between the potassium ion channel AKT1 and the potassium transporter HAK5.

Research is Relevant for Plant Breeding

‘Although HAK5 has been known since the late 1990s, its transport mechanism has so far remained largely unknown,’ says Professor Rainer Hedrich from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany. A team led by the Würzburg biophysicist now wanted to elucidate this mechanism: ‘Knowledge about this is important when it comes to breeding crops that also produce yields on non-fertilised or only lightly fertilised fields, i.e. that can manage with less fertiliser.’

In their experiments, the Würzburg research group led by first authors Tobias Maierhofer and Sönke Scherzer benefited from their extensive experience with the potassium channel AKT1. The group now describes their results in detail in the journal Nature Communications.

Sapienza nel team di ricerca coordinato da coordinato dall’Università di Trieste che ha dimostrato la radice biologica della preferenza di umani e animali per i suoni consonanti, questi ultimi alla base dei segnali sociali
Il team di ricercatori Sapienza hanno collaborato con l’Università degli Trieste in uno studio sulla preferenza delle specie animali, umane e non umane, per i suoni consonanti, che sarebbe in parte determinata fisiologicamente. L’ipotesi all’origine dello studio, condotto su centotrenta pulcini implumi, è che gli elementi costitutivi delle capacità musicali – di umani e animali – abbiano una radice biologica, condivisa tra specie anche filogeneticamente distanti, e non dipendono già solo dalla cultura e dall’esperienza musicale.

Lyu et al. (2024), in a recent study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, have made a significant advancement in the analysis of organic residues in ancient pottery, combining two powerful analytical techniques: lipidomics and proteomics. By examining pottery fragments from the Xiawan site in the Taihu Lake region of China, the researchers obtained a detailed picture of the dietary habits and culinary practices of a population living during the Songze period (ca. 5800-5300 BP).

Lipid analysis revealed a wide range of organic compounds, including medium- and long-chain fatty acids, sterols, aliphatic alcohols, and isoprenoids, which are the building blocks of fats, oils, and waxes. These molecular biomarkers allowed the identification of the food sources used, distinguishing between products of animal and plant origin. In particular, lipids characteristic of fish, terrestrial mammals, and plants were identified, suggesting a diversified diet adapted to the available environmental resources.