Fine tuning of trehalose biosynthesis and hydrolysis as novel tools for the generation of abiotic stress tolerant plants

Abstract

The impact of abiotic stress on plant growth and development has been and still is a major research topic. An important pathway that has been linked to abiotic stress tolerance is the trehalose biosynthetic pathway. Recent findings showed that trehalose metabolism is also important for normal plant growth and development. The intermediate compound – trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) – is now confirmed to act as a sensor for available sucrose, hereby directly influencing the type of response to the changing environmental conditions. This is possible because T6P and/or trehalose or their biosynthetic enzymes are part of complex interaction networks with other crucial hormone and sugar-induced signaling pathways, which may function at different developmental stages. Because of its effect on plant growth and development, modification of trehalose biosynthesis, either at the level of T6P synthesis, T6P hydrolysis, or trehalose hydrolysis, has been utilized to try to improve crop yield and biomass. It was shown that alteration of the amounts of either T6P and/or trehalose did result in increased stress tolerance, but also resulted in many unexpected phenotypic alterations. A main challenge is to characterize the part of the signaling pathway resulting in improved stress tolerance, without affecting the pathways resulting in the unwanted phenotypes. One such specific pathway where modification of trehalose metabolism improved stress tolerance, without any side effects, was recently obtained by overexpression of trehalase, which results in a more sensitive reaction of the stomatal guard cells and closing of the stomata under drought stress conditions. We have used the data that have been obtained from different studies to generate the optimal plant that can be constructed based on modifications of trehalose metabolism.

Leaf anatomical and biochemical adaptations in <em>Typha domingensis</em> Pers. ecotypes for salinity tolerance

“…Whereas, decrease in leaf thickness in Jahlar, Sahianwala and Knotti ecotypes revealed no significant variation under stressed condition. Decline in leaf thickness under stress condition has been observed by many researchers (Delorge et al 2014). Witkowski & Lamont (1991) observed a reduction of the leaf thickness as well as a decrease of the mesophyll portion in number and size.…”

Exogenous Trehalose Treatment Enhances the Activities of Defense-Related Enzymes and Triggers Resistance against Downy Mildew Disease of Pearl Millet

“…Trehalose (α- D -glucopyranosyl-[1–1]-α– D -glucopyranoside), a non-reducing disaccharide comprising of two units of glucose, is widely spread in plants, fungi and bacteria (Elbein et al, 2003). In plants, trehalose serves as a signaling molecule (Paul et al, 2008; Kumar et al, 2013), acting as a regulator of various biological process, including plant growth, development, senescence (Paul et al, 2008; Wingler et al, 2012), as well as plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses (Singh et al, 2011; Krasensky and Jonak, 2012; Lyu et al, 2013; Delorge et al, 2014; Mostofa et al, 2015). With regard to biotic stress resistance; for instance, exogenous application of trehalose has been shown to enhance Arabidopsis thaliana defense against green peach aphid (Singh et al, 2011), as well as resistance of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) against powdery mildew caused by Blumeria graminis (Reignault et al, 2001; Muchembled et al, 2006; Tayeh et al, 2014).…”

Unigene-based RNA-seq provides insights on drought stress responses in Marsdenia tenacissima

“…Trehalose has a protective role against various abiotic stresses, including drought stress in bacteria, fungi, and some plants. It helps maintain cellular membrane integrity and prevent protein degradation (Seki et al, 2007;Delorge et al, 2014). In plants, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase catalyze the biosynthesis of trehalose, and their expressions are induced by drought stress (Avonce et al, 2004;Paul, 2007;Li et al, 2011;Zhao et al, 2016).…”