Author:

Keywords:

arabidopsis thaliana, class ii tps genes, expression regulation, metabolic activity, sugar-and hormone responses, trehalose metabolism, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene, adp-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthesis, cell-differentiation, embryo development, drought tolerance, redox activation, growth, plants, yeast, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Plant Sciences, Arabidopsis thaliana, Class II TPS genes, TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE GENE, ADP-GLUCOSE PYROPHOSPHORYLASE, STARCH SYNTHESIS, CELL-DIFFERENTIATION, EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT, DROUGHT TOLERANCE, REDOX ACTIVATION, GROWTH, PLANTS, YEAST, Arabidopsis, Arabidopsis Proteins, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Genetic Complementation Test, Glucosyltransferases, Green Fluorescent Proteins, Promoter Regions, Genetic, RNA, Plant, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trehalose, 06 Biological Sciences, 07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Plant Biology & Botany, 3108 Plant biology

Abstract:

Trehalose metabolism has profound effects on plant growth and metabolism, but the mechanisms involved are unclear. In Arabidopsis, 21 putative trehalose biosynthesis genes are classified in three subfamilies based on their similarity with yeast TPS1 (encoding a trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, TPS) or TPS2 (encoding a trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, TPP). Although TPS1 (Class I) and TPPA and TPPB (Class III) proteins have established TPS and TPP activity, respectively, the function of the Class II proteins (AtTPS5-AtTPS11) remains elusive. A complete set of promoter-beta-glucurinidase/green fluorescent protein reporters demonstrates their remarkably differential tissue-specific expression and responsiveness to carbon availability and hormones. Heterologous expression in yeast furthermore suggests that none of the encoded enzymes displays significant TPS or TPP activity, consistent with a regulatory rather than metabolic function for this remarkable class of proteins.