Sugar Molecules Activate Genes Promoting Plant Growth

A previous study at Rothamsted Research discovered a biochemical mechanism through which sugars activate the genes that enable growth to occur. Through this study, researchers discovered that the sugar molecule trehalose 6-phosphate not only activates genes to promote plant and crop growth under favorable growing conditions, but also enables growth recovery after a period of stress.

The study shows that trehalose 6-phosphate, together with a protein kinase, SnRK1, activates gene expression to enable rapid growth recovery after extreme stresses such as low temperature. This finding will help researchers design more resilient crops that cope better with extreme temperatures and changing climatic conditions in the future.

Professor Matthew Paul who led the study at Rothamsted Research said "We are learning more and more about how sugars regulate plant growth. As a consequence, modification of the trehalose pathway sugar signalling system is now one of the most promising areas for crop improvement, enabling crops to be both even more productive in good growing conditions and also resilient in poor weather."

For more details about this study, read the news release from Rothamsted Research at: http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/PressReleases-PRID=231.html.