Regulation of Sugar Alcohol Biosynthesis

Abstract

Although we have long known that sugar alcohols can be important primary photosynthetic products involved in storage and translocation, there has been very little information on gene expression or regulation of enzyme activities associated with metabolism of these compounds. Recent studies, however, indicate that sugar alcohol metabolism is probably as tightly regulated as is conventional carbon metabolism in sink and source tissues. Sugar alcohols have also been demonstrated to be associated with the development of tolerance to drought, salt, temperature, and related stresses, and there is quite limited, but increasing evidence of stress-related regulation of genes and enzymes associated with sugar alcohols. Moreover, several studies of plants transformed with a capacity for sugar alcohol biosynthesis now indicate that these plants have enhanced stress tolerance. All this has important implications for crop improvement and developing understanding of stress tolerance mechanisms in plants.