Role of plant biochemical regulators

Copper is an essential micronutrient required in the growth of both plants and animals. In humans, it helps in the production of blood haemoglobin. In plants, copper is an important component of proteins found in the enzymes that regulate the rate of many biochemical reactions in plants. Plants would not grow without the presence of these specific enzymes. Research projects show that copper promotes seed production and formation, plays an essential role in chlorophyll formation and is essential for proper enzyme activity, disease resistance and regulation of water in plants (Rehm and Schmitt, 2002). 

Although the exact role of boron in plants is unknown, several physiological and biochemical activities associated with tissue boron content have been supported experimentally. This review covers some recent work on the role of boron in (1) organic translocation in plants, (2) enzymatic reactions, (3) plant growth regulator response, (4) cell division, (5) cell maturation, (6) nucleic acid metabolism, (7) phenolic acid biosynthesis, and (8) cell wall metabolism. 

In contrast to the paucity of biochemical data on the photosensory functions of cryptochromes, there are extensive genetic and cell biology data on the roles of cryptochromes in blue light, photoreception in plants and animals, and circadian clock regulation in animals (Gashmore, 2003 Lin and Shalitin, 2003 Sancar, 2003). In Arabidopsis, blue light inhibits elongation of hypocotyls in a cryptochrome-dependent manner. In animals. 

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