Ethylene's Secret: MAPK Phosphorylation Switch Drives Rubber Tree

Ethylene's Secret: MAPK Phosphorylation Switch Drives Rubber Tree

Natural rubber is one of those materials modern civilization simply cannot do without. From aircraft tires to medical gloves and condoms, the world depends on the cis-1,4-polyisoprene chains that flow from the slashed bark of the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis. For decades, plantation managers have sprayed the tapping panels of these trees with ethephon, a chemical that releases the plant hormone ethylene, boosting latex yield by roughly 1.5- t…