Scientists at North Carolina State University have
discovered a phenomenon never seen before in plants while studying molecular
changes inside tree cells as wood is formed.
In research published online in Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences the week of Aug. 20, the team found that one member of a
family of proteins called transcription factors took control of a cascade of
genes involved in forming wood, which includes a substance called lignin that
binds fibers together and gives wood its strength.