title: Molecular regulation of sucrose catabolism and sugar transport for development, defence and phloem function.
abstract: Sucrose (Suc) is the major end product of photosynthesis in mesophyll cells of most vascular plants. It is loaded into phloem of mature leaves for long-distance translocation to non-photosynthetic organs where it is unloaded for diverse uses. Clearly, Suc transport and metabolism is central to plant growth and development and the functionality of the entire vascular system. Despite vast information in the literature about the physiological roles of individual sugar metabolic enzymes and transporters, there is a lack of systematic evaluation about their molecular regulation from transcriptional to post-translational levels. Knowledge on this topic is essential for understanding and improving plant development, optimizing resource distribution and increasing crop productivity. We therefore focused our analyses on molecular control of key players in Suc metabolism and transport, including: (i) the identification of promoter elements responsive to sugars and hormones or targeted by transcription factors and microRNAs degrading transcripts of target genes; and (ii) modulation of enzyme and transporter activities through protein-protein interactions and other post-translational modifications. We have highlighted major remaining questions and discussed opportunities to exploit current understanding to gain new insights into molecular control of carbon partitioning for improving plant performance.
authors.affiliation: Australia-China Research Centre for Crop Improvement and School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Agriculture, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Australia-China Research Centre for Crop Improvement and School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Australia-China Research Centre for Crop Improvement and School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Yong-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Ruan
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics; D052585:Phloem / Q000378:metabolism*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D013395:Sucrose