How metabolism and development are intertwined in space and time

Abstract

SUMMARYDevelopmental transitions, occurring throughout the life cycle of plants, require precise regulation of metabolic processes to generate the energy and resources necessary for the committed growth processes. In parallel, the establishment of new cells, tissues, and even organs, alongside their differentiation provoke profound changes in metabolism. It is increasingly being recognized that there is a certain degree of feedback regulation between the components and products of metabolic pathways and developmental regulators. The generation of large‐scale metabolomics datasets during developmental transitions, in combination with molecular genetic approaches has helped to further our knowledge on the functional importance of metabolic regulation of development. In this perspective article, we provide insights into studies that elucidate interactions between metabolism and development at the temporal and spatial scales. We additionally discuss how this influences cell growth‐related processes. We also highlight how metabolic intermediates function as signaling molecules to direct plant development in response to changing internal and external conditions.

S 1 basic leucine zipper transcription factors shape plant architecture by controlling C/N partitioning to apical and lateral organs

“…Although most plants show a pronounced apical growth dominance, lateral organ formation is inducible and highly sensitive to the plant’s sugar status ( 6 , 9 ). However, how metabolism and development are coordinated is far from being understood ( 38 ). Recent work demonstrated that rapid sugar reallocation to dormant axillary rosette branches upon decapitation acts as an initial trigger for bud outgrowth ( 5 ) and highlights the impact of sugar signaling on shoot branching ( 39 – 42 ).…”