Inducible gene expression in mammals: plants add to the menu.

Achieving inducible gene expression in mammalian cells with inexpensive and nontoxic inducers is an ongoing quest. The plant hormone abscisic acid has now been added to the list of compounds that can be used for regulating transcription and controlling protein function by induced proximity. These advances may enable new clinical applications of proximity-induced systems, and they highlight the value of fundamental research in plant biology.