Abstract

HERNANDEZ-BERNAL, Alma Fabiola; GREGORIO-JORGE, Josefat  and  LEON, Patricia. The role of Sugars as Signaling Molecules in Plants. TIP [online]. 2022, vol.25, e519.  Epub June 23, 2023. ISSN 1405-888X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fesz.23958723e.2022.519.

The conversion of solar energy to chemical energy by plants during the photosynthetic process provides the main support of the life on the planet. The final products of photosynthesis are carbon skeletons (i.e sugars) that result of the atmospheric CO2 fixation in the leaves and that are the main food and energy source for plants. Throughout evolution, sugars served not only as a source of energy, but also as signaling molecules that communicate the variations of the energetic status in the plant through the participation of various extracellular and intracellular protein receptors. Diverse monosaccharides (glucose and fructose) and disaccharides (sucrose and trehalose) trigger different signaling pathways that involve the participation of kinases and transcription factors that modulate the expression of hundreds of nuclear genes required for plant growth, development, and stress responses. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of how sugars are produced, their transport in the plant, as well as the current knowledge on the perception and signaling processes mediated by these compounds that impact throughout the entire life of the plants.

Keywords : sugars; Glc; HXK1; SnRK1; TOR.