Trehalose signalling: understanding and exploiting an emerging small molecule carbohydrate paradigm

蔗糖和海藻糖是自然界中分布最广的非还原性二糖。蔗糖在植物中起着能量储备、结构单元和保护分子的作用，海藻糖在真菌、细菌和昆虫中具有这些功能。直到最近，除了极少数例外，蔗糖和海藻糖界之间的这种划分被认为是明确的。然而，海藻糖途径，特别是海藻糖6-磷酸，已被证明在植物中发挥不可或缺的信号作用，影响光合作用，糖代谢，疾病和胁迫抗性等过程。该提案将确定海藻糖6-磷酸和植物中密切相关的非还原性二糖的信号伴侣，以使这些重要的植物过程的化学干预能够在拟南芥中进行长期的作物改良。

Sucrose and trehalose are the most widespread non-reducing disaccharides in nature. Sucrose functions as an energy reserve, building block and protective molecule in plants, and trehalose has these functions in fungi, bacteria and insects. Until recently, with very few exceptions, this division of sucrose and trehalose between the kingdoms was thought to be clear cut. However, the trehalose pathway and trehalose 6-phosphate, in particular, have been shown to play an indispensbale signalling role in plants influencing processes like photosynthesis, sugar metabolism, disease and stress resistance. The proposal will determine signalling partners of trehalose 6-phosphate and closely related non-reducing disaccharides in plants to enable chemical intervention of these important plant processes in Arabidopsis with a longer term view to crop improvement.