Ready, steady, go! A sugar hit starts the race to shoot branching.
In the classical theory of apical dominance, auxin depletion from the stem releases bud dormancy. Recent studies have revealed a poor correlation between the initial bud release and auxin depletion from the stem after decapitation. Sucrose mobility in plants and its accumulation in buds correlates well with the onset of bud release and is able to trigger bud outgrowth. The diversion of sugars away from axillary buds decreases bud release even where hormones are at levels generally considered conducive to bud release. This impact of sugars on bud outgrowth may be mediated by specific sugar and hormonal signalling pathways.
School of Biological Sciences, and The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
François F
FF
Barbier
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
John E
JE
Lunn
School of Biological Sciences, and The Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. Electronic address: c.beveridge@uq.edu.au.
Christine A
CA
Beveridge
D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D007210:Indoleacetic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D063245:Plant Development; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism*; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*
D007210:Indoleacetic Acids; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D013395:Sucrose