What this means
Scientists found that a gene in a plant delays how fast leaves age and turn yellow. This work was done in a lab plant, so it does not show what happens in people.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.
- Who it was tested in
- Arabidopsis plants (a small lab plant) in a lab study
- Kind of research
- A study
The science
- Original title
- The plant longevity gene AHL15 delays leaf senescence by repressing ORESARA1 and cytokinin degradation.
- Authors
- Luden T, Amakorová P, Basu E et al.
- Journal
- The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Study type
- Study
- PMID
- 42876059 ↗
Abstract
The Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) AT-HOOK MOTIF NUCLEAR LOCALIZED 15 (AHL15) gene is associated with various longevity phenotypes and extends the life span of plants when overexpressed. In this study, we show that, in addition to previously described longevity phenotypes, constitutive overexpression of AHL15 in Arabidopsis delays leaf senescence, whereas ahl15 loss of function accelerates this process. Dexamethasone-induced nuclear localization of AHL15-GR during dark-triggered senescence results in a stay-green phenotype and represses the expression of several early senescence-associated genes. Among these, the ORESARA1 (ORE1) locus is directly bound by AHL15, suggesting a direct delaying effect of AHL15 on senescence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that AHL15 acts by directly repressing the expression of several CYTOKININ OXIDASE (CKX) genes involved in cytokinin inactivation, resulting in delayed degradation of cytokinins during dark-induced senescence. Cytokinins are known to inhibit senescence, and this, together with the downregulation of ORE1 expression, explains the delaying effect of AHL15 on senescence.
Luden T, Amakorová P, Basu E et al. The plant longevity gene AHL15 delays leaf senescence by repressing ORESARA1 and cytokinin degradation. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology. 2026. doi:10.1111/tpj.71177. PMID: 42876059. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42876059/