Control of plant development and gene expression by sugar signaling

Abstract

Coordination of development with the availability of nutrients, such as soluble sugars, may help ensure an adequate supply of building materials and energy with which to carry out specific developmental programs. For example, in-vivo and in-vitro experiments suggest that increasing sugar levels delay seed germination and stimulate the induction of flowering and senescence in at least some plant species. Higher sugar concentrations can also increase the number of tubers formed by potatoes and can stimulate the formation of adventitious roots by Arabidopsis. New insights into the mechanisms by which sugar-response pathways interact with other response pathways have been provided by microarray experiments examining sugar-regulated gene expression under different light and nitrogen conditions.