The sweet smell of success (Image: A. Cheziere/Universit茅 Jean Monnet)
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NOW we can stop and smell the roses once more. The discovery of a gene largely responsible for the delicate scent of the rose could help restore the fragrance accidentally bred out of varieties cultivated for beauty.
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鈥淚n roses used for the cut-flower market, there is rarely a scent,鈥� says of the University of Lyon in Saint-Etienne, France. 鈥淲e hope that we can help breeders restore more fragrances.鈥�
Baudino and her team compared the genomes of two rose varieties: the strong-smelling Papa Meilland and the weakly scented Rouge Meilland. Papa Meilland produces high levels of organic compounds called monoterpenes, molecules that create scents such as mint and citronella.
The petals of the fragrant Papa Meilland appeared to express one gene in particular, RhNUDX1, known in other organisms to produce an enzyme that helps cells handle stress. The researchers wondered if this enzyme could also be responsible for emitting the rose鈥檚 monoterpenes.
They knocked out RhNUDX1 in another variety of scented rose, and found that their new flowers hardly emitted the telltale compounds. In another experiment, the team crossed compound-rich Old Blush roses with a less aromatic variety, Rosa wichurana. Only the progeny that produced the enzyme had sweet-smelling blooms (Science, ).
Baudino thinks the finding could help breed the perfect rose: one that鈥檚 not only beautiful and long-lasting, but fragrant, too. Breeders could quickly cultivate the desired hybrids by testing for signs of the gene in the plant鈥檚 leaves, even before the rose has flowered.
French perfumer is excited by the possibilities. 鈥淔or me, as an old-time perfumer, a flower that doesn鈥檛 smell is dead,鈥� he says. 鈥�RhNUDX1 can bring back what we lost.鈥�
聯For me a flower that doesn鈥檛 smell is dead. This gene can bring back scents we lost through breeding聰
, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, thinks the discovery could also help explain how plants communicate with each other and pollinators.
鈥淭hese compounds are not only for our pleasure. Maybe one day we will use this for biological management.鈥�
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淓verything鈥檚 coming up roses with scent gene鈥�