Researchers have revealed a previously unknown way plants shape their growth in response to light — a breakthrough that could better equip crops to handle environmental stress.

In a first-of-its-kind finding, the team discovered how a compound that’s involved in plant metabolism can directly "reprogram” an unrelated light-sensing protein.

This unexpected interaction, which was reported in the journal Nature Communications, is an exciting step toward more fully understanding plant physiology.

“In the future, this mechanism could be exploited to fine-tune plant growth, development and stress responses,” Erich Grotewold said, MSU research foundation professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and an author of the latest study.