Abstract
In plants, abiotic stresses are associated with imbalances between carbon fixation and utilization, resulting in altered sugar concentration. Plants have developed the ability to sense changes in levels of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and trehalose-6-P, among others, and to respond accordingly through a very complex signaling network to modify gene expression and protein activity to cope with the environmental challenge. Two large signaling networks have been described, the sucrose nonfermenting related kinase (SnRK) and the target of rapamycin kinases, which essentially correspond to opposite situations: low or high carbon availability, respectively. The specificity of plant response to a particular stress may be given, in part, by interactions with other signaling pathways, particularly hormones. In-depth knowledge of sugar signaling networks will facilitate the use of either genetic modification or chemical intervention tools to improve the performance of crops under abiotic stress.
Highlights
When plants encounter adverse environments, primary metabolic processes, such as growth and/or photosynthesis, are, in general, rapidly affected, and the effect depends on the type and magnitude of stress (Arbona et al, 2017)
The other corresponds to high C availability, when growth is more affected than photosynthesis: target of rapamycin (TOR) signaling network (Baena-González and Hanson, 2017)
We summarize the present status of knowledge about sugar roles in plant responses to abiotic stresses, indicating main research areas and gaps still existing in this knowledge
Summary
When plants encounter adverse (or potentially adverse) environments, primary metabolic processes, such as growth and/or photosynthesis, are, in general, rapidly affected, and the effect depends on the type and magnitude of stress (Arbona et al, 2017). Sugar levels are perceived through sugar sensors that initiate a signaling cascade resulting in altered gene expression and protein modification. Upon these changes, plants may respond to a specific stressful condition and through this response may improve their chance of success. One of them corresponds to low carbon availability, this is, when C fixation is more affected than consumption or growth: the SnRK family-signaling network (Broeckx et al, 2016). At first glance sugar signaling might appear as a rather unspecific way of responding to external stimuli To solve this query, plants have evolved complex interplays with stress-related hormones, such as abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene, as well as with direct environmental stimuli, such as light or mineral nutrients. Potential uses of the information gathered toward obtaining crops that may be more productive under unfavorable environmental conditions are briefly discussed
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