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Different parameters that vary during leaf development may be affected by light intensity. To study the influence of different light intensities on primary leaf senescence, sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) plants were grown for 50 days under two photon flux density (PFD) conditions, namely high irradiance (HI) at 350 μmol(photon) m s and low irradiance (LI) at 125 μmol(photon) m s. Plants grown under HI exhibited greater specific leaf mass referred to dry mass, leaf area and soluble protein at the beginning of the leaf development. This might have resulted from the increased CO fixation rate observed in HI plants, during early development of primary leaves. Chlorophyll a and b contents in HI plants were lower than in LI plants in young leaves. By contrast, the carotenoid content was significantly higher in HI plants. Glucose concentration increased with the leaf age in both treatments (HI and LI), while the starch content decreased sharply in HI plants, but only slightly in LI plants. Glucose contents were higher in HI plants than in LI plants; the differences were statistically significant ( p<0.05) mainly at the beginning of the leaf senescence. On the other hand, starch contents were higher in HI plants than in LI plants, throughout the whole leaf development period. Nitrate reductase (NR) activity decreased with leaf ageing in both treatments. However, the NR activation state was higher during early leaf development and decreased more markedly in senescent leaves in plants grown under HI. GS activity also decreased during sunflower leaf ageing under both PFD conditions, but HI plants showed higher GS activities than LI plants. Aminating and deaminating activities of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) peaked at 50 days (senescent leaves). GDH deaminating activity increased 5-fold during the leaf development in HI plants, but only 2-fold in LI plants. The plants grown under HI exhibited considerable oxidative stress in vivo during the leaf senescence, as revealed by the substantial HO accumulation and the sharply decrease in the antioxidant enzymes, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, in comparison with LI plants. Probably, systemic signals triggered by a high PFD caused early senescence and diminished oxidative protection in primary leaves of sunflower plants as a result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon captured through photosynthesis is transported, and sometimes stored in plants, as sugar. All organic compounds in plants trace to carbon from sugars, so sugar metabolism is highly regulated and integrated with development. Sugars stored by plants are important to humans as foods and as renewable feedstocks for industrial conversion to biofuels and biomaterials. For some purposes, sugars have advantages over polymers including starches, cellulose or storage lipids. This review considers progress and prospects in plant metabolic engineering for increased yield of endogenous sugars and for direct production of higher-value sugars and simple sugar derivatives. Opportunities are examined for enhancing export of sugars from leaves. Focus then turns to manipulation of sugar metabolism in sugar-storing sink organs such as fruits, sugarcane culms and sugarbeet tubers. Results from manipulation of suspected 'limiting' enzymes indicate a need for clearer understanding of flux control mechanisms, to achieve enhanced levels of endogenous sugars in crops that are highly selected for this trait. Outcomes from in planta conversion to novel sugars and derivatives range from severe interference with plant development to field demonstration of crops accumulating higher-value sugars at high yields. The differences depend on underlying biological factors including the effects of the novel products on endogenous metabolism, and on biotechnological fine-tuning including developmental expression and compartmentation patterns. Ultimately, osmotic activity may limit the accumulation of sugars to yields below those achievable using polymers; but results indicate the potential for increases above current commercial sugar yields, through metabolic engineering underpinned by improved understanding of plant sugar metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Because hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are harmful and not always associated with overt clinical signs, it is necessary to have methods available to screen for glucose levels to detect hypoglycemia and diabetes as early as possible. A new method for such screening and the clinical determination of blood total hexose on a dry blood spot (DBS) using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was developed. Methods: The serum glucose controls and blood were prepared as DBS and then extracted into a methanol solution containing isotope-labeled internal standards. The methanolic extraction was subjected to HPLC, followed by MS/MS in positive ion mode. Multiple-reaction monitoring of m/z 203.1→23 was used to detect hexose, and m/z 209.0→23 was used for 13C6-D-glucose. Results: The recoveries of blood glucose by MS/MS were 90%–102% with an R 2 value of 0.999 after linear regression (p <0.001). The controls were within an acceptable range, and the coefficients of variation were less than 10%. The blood total hexose in neonates aged 3–7days (6.41±1.46mmol/L) was lower than that in neonates aged 8–30days (6.66±1.38mmol/L), and it was lower in neonates than in children aged 1–72months (7.19±1.87mmol/L). Conclusion: Quantification of total hexose on a dry blood spot by MS/MS is accurate, reliable and feasible for screening and clinical tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the protective role of Cardiospermum halicacabum (C. halicacabum) leaf extract on glycoprotein metabolism in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Methods: Diabetes was induced in male albino Wistar rats by intraperitonial administration of STZ. The C. halicacabum leaf extract (CHE) was administered orally to normal and STZ–diabetic rats for 45 days. The effects of C. halicacabum leaf extract (CHE) on plasma and tissue glycoproteins (hexose, hexosamine, fucose and sialic acid) were determined. Results: The levels of plasma and tissues glycoproteins containing hexose, hexosamine and fucose were significantly increased in STZ–induced diabetic rats. In addition, the level of sialic acid significantly increased in plasma and liver while decreased in kidney of STZ–induced diabetic rats. After administration of CHE to diabetic rats, the metabolic alteration of glycoprotein reverted towards normal levels. Conclusions: The present study indicates that the CHE possesses a protective effect on abnormal glycoprotein metabolism in addition to its antihyperglycemic activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A comprehensive DFT study of acid-catalyzed glucose and fructose reactions in water covering more than 100 potential reaction paths is performed with the aim to identify the main reaction channels for obtaining such desirable biorefinery platform products as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and levulinic acid (LA). Characteristic for fructose dehydration by Brønsted acids is the preferred protonation of the O2H group at the anomeric carbon atom, which initiates a sequence of facile reactions toward HMF. Further rehydration to LA is more difficult and competes with condensation reactions leading to humins. A very different result is obtained when glucose is the reactant. The preferred protonation site is the O1H hydroxyl group. The associated reaction paths do not lead to the formation of HMF or LA but result in humin precursors and reversion products. Protonation of other sites occurs at a much lower rate. Nevertheless, when glucose is activated at these less reactive sites, it can lead to LA via a reaction mechanism that does not involve the intermediate formation of fructose and HMF. This direct mechanism is argued to be preferred over the conventional sequential conversion scheme. It is concluded that the differences in the reactivity of glucose and fructose in acidic aqueous solutions are dominated by the regioselectivity of the initial protonation step. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Several lines of evidence indicate that glucose and fructose are essentially absent in mobile phloem sap. However, this paradigm has been called into question, especially but not entirely, with respect to species in the Ranunculaceae and Papaveraceae. In the experiments in question, phloem sap was obtained by detaching leaves and placing the cut ends of the petioles in an EDTA solution. More hexose than sucrose was detected. In the present study, these results were confirmed for four species. However, almost identical results were obtained when the leaf blades were removed and only petiole stubs were immersed. This suggests that the sugars in the EDTA solution represent compounds extracted from the petioles, rather than sugars in transit in the phloem. In further experiments, the leaf blades were exposed to 14CO2 and, following a chase period, radiolabelled sugars in the petioles and EDTA exudate were identified. Almost all the radiolabel was in the form of [14C]sucrose, with little radiolabelled hexose. The data support the long-held contention that sucrose is a ubiquitous transport sugar, but hexoses are essentially absent in the phloem stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Whether nectarivores or frugivores place selective pressure on the plants they feed on, in terms of nectar or fruit traits, is much debated. Globally sugar preferences, concentration preference and digestive ability of avian nectarivores have been extensively researched. In contrast, relatively little is known about mammalian nectarivores or frugivores in terms of these, particularly Old World species. Consequently effect of sugar type and concentration on food preference in Wahlberg''s epauletted fruit bat Epomophorus wahlbergi was investigated. Pair-wise choice tests were conducted using equicaloric hexose and sucrose solutions at five different concentrations (5%–25%). It was expected that they would prefer hexose sugars as these are dominant in available indigenous fruits. However, bats preferred hexoses only when offered dilute (5%) concentrations. From 10% to 25% they showed a decrease in volume intake. Their body mass was generally higher and similar after feeding during the night with the exception of 5% concentration where the mean body mass decreased. When E. wahlbergi were offered a range of sucrose or hexose solutions (10%–25%) respectively, they showed no concentration preference in terms of total volume consumed, nor energy intake. These findings suggest that these fruit bats do not appear to act as a selective pressure on sugar composition in Old World fruit. In fruit bats with high energy requirements, dietary flexibility may be an advantage when faced with seasonal and unpredictable fruit availability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To improve the conversion rate of a saccharification liquid from food wastes containing pentoses and hexoses into bioethanol, after selecting Saccharomyces coreanus and Pichia stipitis, the respective fermentation and co-fermentation properties were investigated. In the fermentation using S. coreanus, the result under anaerobic condition was better than under aerobic conditions. In the anaerobic fermentation, the concentration of the reducing sugar and glucose remaining after 24 hrs was 9.09 and 1.88 g/L, respectively, with 40.59 g/L of ethanol produced; the ethanol productivity was 1.69 g/L-h. Also, even with the fermentation using P. stipitis, the reducing sugars and glucose were rapidly reduced, with a marked production of ethanol, but the ethanol produced was lower than those under anaerobic and aerobic conditions with the use of S. coreanus. Therefore, for the production of a high concentration of bioethanol from food wastes, ethanol fermentation was induced using S. coreanus until the middle of the fermentation, with P. stipitis used during the latter stage of the fermentation, where the circumstance favored its use, and thus, the carbon source not converted by S. coreanus was later converted to ethanol. As a result, both ethanol production of 48.63 g/L and productivity of 2.03 g/L-h increased over those of the anaerobic fermentation using S. coreanus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, two bird-pollination systems have been recognised, involving specialist and occasional nectar-feeding birds. Whether avian pollinators place selective pressure on the plants they feed on, in terms of flower morphology and nectar traits, is still debated. While considerable research exists that examines the sugar preferences, concentration preference and digestive ability of specialist nectar-feeding birds, there is little known about these parameters for occasional nectar-feeding birds, as most previous studies have not controlled for the energetic value of solutions employed in choice experiments. Birds of the Sturnidae--Muscicapoidea lineage lack sucrase and are intolerant of solutions or fruit above 11-15% sucrose content. African Red-winged Starlings Onychognathus morio are occasional nectarivores that play a role as pollinators of several plant groups, particularly aloes, which produce large amounts of dilute floral nectar. We confirmed that these birds, like other members of their lineage studied outside of Africa, are unable to digest sucrose. In laboratory trials, they strongly preferred hexose (1:1 glucose:fructose) over sucrose solutions in paired equicaloric choice tests at a range of concentrations (5-20%) and maintained energy balance at these concentrations. However, they were unable to maintain body mass when given a choice between sucrose and hexose solutions at the highest concentration (25%) and showed no sugar preference at this level, suggesting that high concentration solutions may place physiological stress on starlings. Starlings preferentially consumed lower concentration solutions, when simultaneously offered four hexose solutions of varying concentrations (10-25%). These results suggest that starlings impose pollinator-mediated pressure for low concentration, hexose-rich nectar in the plants they pollinate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glucose absorption postprandially increases markedly to levels far greater than possible by the classic glucose transporter sodium-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1). Hypothesis: Luminal concentrations of glucose >50 mM lead to rapid, phenotypic, non-genomic adaptations by the enterocyte to recruit another transporter, glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2), to the apical membrane to increase glucose absorption. Methods: Isolated segments of jejunum were perfused in vivo with glucose-containing solutions in anesthetized rats. Carrier-mediated glucose uptake was measured in 10 and 100 mM glucose solutions ( n = 6 rats each) with and without selective inhibitors of SGLT1 and GLUT2. Results: The mean rate of carrier-mediated glucose uptake increased in rats perfused with 100 mM versus 10 mM glucose to 13.9 ± 2.9 μmol from 2.1 ± 0.1 μmol, respectively ( p < 0.0001). Using selective inhibitors, the relative contribution of GLUT2 to glucose absorption was 56% in the 100 mM concentration of glucose compared to the 10 mM concentration (27%; p < 0.01). Passive absorption accounted for 6% of total glucose absorption at 100 mM glucose. Conclusion: A small amount of GLUT2 is active at the lesser luminal concentrations of glucose, but when exposed to concentrations of 100 mM, the enterocyte presumably changes its phenotype by recruiting GLUT2 apically to markedly augment glucose absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Leishmania parasites experience variable nutrient levels as they cycle between the extracellular promastigote stage in the sandfly vector and the obligate intracellular amastigote stage in the mammalian host. Here we show that the surface expression of three Leishmania mexicana hexose and myo-inositol transporters is regulated in both a stage-specific and nutrient-dependent manner. GFP-chimeras of functionally active hexose transporters, LmGT2 and LmGT3, and the myo-inositol transporter, MIT, were primarily expressed in the cell body plasma membrane in rapidly dividing promastigote stages. However MIT-GFP was mostly rerouted to the multivesicular tubule (MVT)-lysosome when promastigotes reached stationary phase growth and all three nutrient transporters were targeted to the amastigote lysosome following transformation to in vitro differentiated or in vivo imaged amastigote stages. This stage-specific decrease in surface expression of GFP-tagged transporters correlated with decreased hexose or myo-inositol uptake in stationary phase promastigotes and amastigotes. The MVT-lysosme targeting of the MIT-GFP protein was reversed when promastigotes were deprived of myo-inositol, indicating that nutrient signals can override stage-specific changes in transporter distribution. The surface expression of the hexose and myo-inositol transporters was not regulated by interactions with the subpellicular cytoskeleton, as both classes of transporters associated with detergent-resistant membranes. LmGT3-GFP and MIT-GFP proteins C-terminally modified with mono-ubiquitin were constitutively transported to the MVT-lysosome, suggesting that ubiquitination may play a key role in regulating the subcellular distribution of these transporters and parasite adaptation to different nutrient conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Aims To understand whether root responses to aerial rhythmic growth and contrasted defoliation treatments can be interpreted under the common frame of carbohydrate availability; root growth was studied in parallel with carbohydrate concentrations in different parts of the root system on oak tree seedlings. Methods Quercus pubescens seedlings were submitted to selective defoliation (removal of mature leaves, cotyledons or young developing leaves) at appearance of the second flush and collected 1, 5 or 10 d later for morphological and biochemical measurements. Soluble sugar and starch concentrations were measured in cotyledons and apical and basal root parts. Key Results Soluble sugar concentration in the root apices diminished during the expansion of the second aerial flush and increased after the end of aerial growth in control seedlings. Starch concentration in cotyledons regularly decreased. Continuous removal of young leaves did not alter either root growth or apical sugar concentration. Starch storage in basal root segments was increased. After removal of mature leaves (and cotyledons), root growth strongly decreased. Soluble sugar concentration in the root apices drastically decreased and starch reserves in the root basal segments were emptied 5 d after defoliation, illustrating a considerable shortage in carbohydrates. Soluble sugar concentrations recovered 10 d after defoliation, after the end of aerial growth, suggesting a recirculation of sugar. No supplementary recourse to starch in cotyledons was observed. Conclusions The parallel between apical sugar concentration and root growth patterns, and the correlations between hexose concentration in root apices and their growth rate, support the hypothesis that the response of root growth to aerial periodic growth and defoliation treatments is largely controlled by carbohydrate availability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Understanding how green sink strength is regulated in planta poses a difficult problem because non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels can have integrated, simultaneous feedback effects on photosynthesis, sugar uptake, and respiration that depend on specific NSC moieties. Photosynthetic gametophytes of the fern Ceratopteris richardii provide a simple land plant model to assess how different NSCs imported from the apoplast of intact plants affect green sink strength. Sink strength was quantified as the amount of exogenous sugar that plants grown in low light depleted from their liquid media, and the relative contributions of carbon assimilation by photosynthesis and sugar uptake was estimated from stable isotope analysis of plant dry mass. Gametophytes absorbed fructose and glucose with equal affinity when cultured on either hexose alone, or in the presence of an equimolar blend of both sugars. Plants also depleted sucrose from the surrounding media, although a portion of this disaccharide that was hydrolysed into fructose and glucose by putative cell wall invertase activity remained in the media. The δ13C in plant dry masses harvested from sugar treatments were all close to –18‰, indicating that 25–39% of total plant carbon was from C3 photosynthesis (δ13C=–29‰) and 61–75% was from uptake of exogenous sugars (δ13C=–11‰). Carbon-use efficiency (i.e. carbon accumulated/carbon depleted) was significantly improved when plants had a blend of exogenous sugars available compared with plants grown in a single hexose alone. Plants avoided complete down-regulation of photosynthesis even though a large excess of exogenous carbon fluxed through their cells. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Quantitative liquid-chromatography techniques used to characterize carbohydrates present in biomass samples can suffer from long analysis times, limited analyte resolution, poor stability, or a combination of these factors. The current manuscript details a novel procedure enabling resolution of glucose, xylose, arabinose, galactose, mannose, fructose, and sucrose via isocratic elution in less than 5min. Equivalent conditions also enable analysis of cellobiose and maltose with a minimal increase in chromatographic run time (ca. 3 and 6min, respectively). Noted chromatographic performance requires that a commercially available anion-exchange column be modified with carbonate prior to analysis. Analytical performance of a modified column was assessed over a 5-day period via repeated analyses of 4 samples, resulting from aqueous extraction or quantitative saccharification of a potential biofuel feedstock (i.e., corn stover or switchgrass). A simple solid phase extraction procedure was utilized to clean up each sample prior to analysis. Analytical accuracy of the extraction protocol was assessed by evaluation of matrix spike recoveries which typically ranged from 84% to 98%. The instrumental variability of measured concentrations in real samples over the 5-day period was generally less than 5% RSD for all detected analytes, independent of sample type. Finally, it is important to note that the modified column exhibited exceptional stability over approximately 800 injections of biofeedstock-based samples. These data demonstrate that a carbonate-modified anion-exchange column can be employed for rapid determination of carbohydrates in biomass samples of lignocellulosic origin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hexokinase (HXK, EC 2.7.1.1) plays an important role in the metabolism and glucose signalling. To examine the characteristics of HXK gene family in rice, the subcellular locali zations of ten hexokinases ( OsHXK1 - OsHXK10) were determined using OsHXK::GFP fusion proteins in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts. As was previously demonstrated, OsHXK4 was detected in the chloroplast stroma, OsHXK5 and OsHXK6 in the mitochondria, and OsHXK7 and OsHXK10 in the cytoplasm. In the present study, OsHXKs were clearly divided into three types (A, B, C) based on their N-terminal sequences. The new type-C HXKs in plants, OsHXK1, OsHXK7 and OsHXK8, which lack the plastidic transit peptide and the membrane anchor domain, were detected not only in the cytoplasm but also in the nucleus. The type-B HXKs, OsHXK2, OsHXK3, OsHXK9 and OsHXK10, which contained a membrane anchor domain, were distinctly localized in the mitochondria. These results suggest that OsHXKs localized in different cell compartments may be involved in the glucose signalling-related gene expression during growth and development of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that nectar properties of flowers pollinated by generalist avian nectarivores differ markedly from those of flowers pollinated by specialist avian nectarivores. In particular, flowers pollinated by generalist avian nectarivores tend to have very dilute nectar dominated by hexose sugars. To establish whether pollinator-mediated selection can explain these traits, we tested nectar sugar preferences and digestive capabilities of the village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), a common generalist passerine nectarivore in South Africa. When offered pairwise choices of equicaloric hexose and sucrose solutions, village weavers preferred hexose solutions at 5% and 10% sucrose equivalents (SE) but did not show significant preference for either type of sugar when higher concentrations were offered (15%, 20% and 25% SE). Birds were less efficient at absorbing sucrose than hexose sugars, as revealed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of excreta sugar content. This was true at both concentrations tested (8.22% and 25%), although apparent sucrose assimilation rates were still relatively high (89.6±2.9% at low concentrations and 93.6 ±1.7% at high concentrations). Transit times indicated that sucrose also passes through the digestive tract faster than hexose sugars, particularly when consumed at high concentrations. This may limit the rate at which sucrose can be hydrolyzed before absorption. These results indicate that hexose preferences in generalist avian nectarivores may help explain the low sucrose content in flowers pollinated by these birds. Moreover, the preference for hexose sugars in weavers was most evident at the low concentrations (ca. 9% sugar by mass) that are typical of nectar in flowers pollinated by generalist avian nectarivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of a biocatalyst to tolerate furan inhibitors present in hemicellulose hydrolysates is important for the production of renewable chemicals. This study shows EMFR9, a furfural-tolerant mutant of ethanologenic E. coli LY180, has also acquired tolerance to 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF). The mechanism of action of 5-HMF and furfural appear similar. Furan tolerance results primarily from lower expression of yqhD and dkgA, two furan reductases with a low Km for NADPH. Furan tolerance was also increased by adding plasmids encoding a NADPH/NADH transhydrogenase ( pntAB). Together, these results support the hypothesis that the NADPH-dependent reduction of furans by YqhD and DkgA inhibits growth by competing with biosynthesis for this limiting cofactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigated the sugar and organic acid contents in the juice sacs of the Shiranuhi mandarin ([Citrus unshiu x C. sinensis] x C. reticulata) fruit. Results show the fruit's juice sacs had total sugar and sucrose contents increasing from the center parts outwards while fructose and glucose contents increased inwards from the outer to central parts. The findings indicate that the central parts of the juice sacs had lower concentrations of malic and oxalic acid but had higher concentrations of citric acid.

Abstract: An efficient and stereoselective synthesis of d,l-gulose was described. The key step of the synthetic route is represented by a multicomponent enyne cross metathesis—hetero Diels–Alder reaction which allows the formation of the pyran ring from cheap and commercially available substrates in a single synthetic step. The synthesis of d,l-gulose was accomplished without the use of protecting groups making this approach highly desirable also in terms of atom economy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although fructose is commonly used as a sweetener, its effects on brain function are unclear. Using rat hippocampal slices, we found that fructose and mannose, like pyruvate, preserve ATP levels during 3-h of glucose deprivation. Similarly, fructose and mannose restored synaptic potentials (excitatory postsynaptic potential, EPSPs) depressed during glucose deprivation. However, restoration of synaptic responses was slow and only partial with fructose. EPSPs supported by mannose were inhibited by cytochalasin B (CCB), a glucose transport inhibitor, but were not inhibited by α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (4-CIN), a monocarboxylate transport inhibitor, indicating that neurons use mannose via glucose transporters. In contrast, both CCB and 4-CIN depressed EPSPs supported by fructose, suggesting that fructose may be taken up by non-neuronal cells through CCB sensitive hexose transporters and metabolized to a monocarboxylate for subsequent use during neuronal respiration. Supporting this possibility, 20 minutes of oxygen deprivation in the presence of fructose resulted in functional and morphological deterioration whereas oxygen deprivation in the presence of glucose or mannose had minimal toxic effects. These results indicate that neuronal fructose utilization differs from glucose and mannose and likely involves release of monocarboxylates from glia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Development, abiotic and biotic stress each affect the physical architecture and chemical composition of the plant cell wall, making maintenance of cell-wall integrity an important component of many plant processes. Cellulose biosynthesis inhibition (CBI) was employed to impair the functional integrity of the cell wall, and the plant’s response to this specific stress was characterized in an Arabidopsis seedling model system. CBI caused changes in the expression of genes involved in mechanoperception, the response to microbial challenge, and lignin and cell-wall polysaccharide biosynthesis. Following CBI, activation of a UDP-d-xylose 4-epimerase gene correlated with increases in arabinose and uronic acid content in seedling cell walls. Activation of pathogen response genes, lignin deposition and lesion formation were dependent on externally supplied sugars and were suppressed by osmotic support. Lignin deposition in the root elongation zone caused by CBI was reduced in atrbohd (NADPH oxidase) mutant seedlings but increased in jasmonic acid resistant1 ( jar1-1) mutant seedlings. Phytohormone measurements showed that CBI-induced increases in jasmonic (JA) and salicylic acids were dependent on sugar availability and prevented by osmotic support. We show that CBI activates responses commonly attributed to both abiotic and microbial challenges. Glucose/sucrose and turgor pressure are critical components in maintenance of cell-wall integrity and the regulation of induced responses, including JA biosynthesis. Lignin deposition induced by CBI is regulated by JAR1-1 and NADPH oxidase-dependent signalling processes. Our results identify components of the mechanism that mediates the response to impairment of cell-wall integrity in Arabidopsis thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanistic inter-relationships in sinks between sucrose compartmentation/metabolism and phloem unloading/translocation are poorly understood. Developing grain legume seeds provide tractable experimental systems to explore this question. Metabolic demand by cotyledons is communicated to phloem unloading and ultimately import by sucrose withdrawal from the seed apoplasmic space via a turgor-homeostat mechanism. What is unknown is how metabolic demand is communicated to cotyledon sucrose transporters responsible for withdrawing sucrose from the apoplasmic space. This question was explored here using a pea rugosus mutant (rrRbRb) compromised in starch biosynthesis compared with its wild-type counterpart (RRRbRb). Sucrose influx into cotyledons was found to account for 90% of developmental variations in their absolute growth and hence starch biosynthetic rates. Furthermore, rr and RR cotyledons shared identical response surfaces, indicating that control of transporter activity was likely to be similar for both lines. In this context, sucrose influx was correlated positively with expression of a sucrose/H+ symporter (PsSUT1) and negatively with two sucrose facilitators (PsSUF1 and PsSUF4). Sucrose influx exhibited a negative curvilinear relationship with cotyledon concentrations of sucrose and hexoses. In contrast, the impact of intracellular sugars on transporter expression was transporter dependent, with expression of PsSUT1 inhibited, PsSUF1 unaffected, and PsSUF4 enhanced by sugars. Sugar supply to, and sugar concentrations of, RR cotyledons were manipulated using in vitro pod and cotyledon culture. Collectively the results obtained showed that intracellular sucrose was the physiologically active sugar signal that communicated metabolic demand to sucrose influx and this transport function was primarily determined by PsSUT1 regulated at the transcriptional level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: In sugarcane, increased sink demand has previously been shown to result in increased photosynthetic rates that are correlated with a reduction in leaf hexose concentrations. To establish whether sink limitation of photosynthesis is a result of sugar accumulation in the leaf, excision and cold-girdling techniques were used to modify leaf sugar concentrations in pot-grown sugarcane. In excised leaves that were preincubated in darkness for 3h, sucrose accumulation was reduced but accumulated again upon transfer to the light, while hexose concentrations remained lower than in controls (7.7μmolmg−1 FW versus 18.6μmolmg−1 FW hexose in controls). These results were associated with a 66% and 59% increase in photosynthetic assimilation (A) and electron transport rate (ETR), respectively, compared to controls maintained in the light. Similar increases in photosynthesis were observed when dark-treated leaves were supplied with 5mM sorbitol, but not when supplied with 5mM sucrose. Further analyses of 14C-labeled sugars indicated rapid turnover between sucrose and hexose. Cold-girdling (5°C) increased sucrose and hexose levels and resulted in a decline of photosynthetic rates over 5d (48% and 35% decline in assimilation rate and ETR, respectively). These sugar-induced changes in photosynthesis were independent of changes in stomatal conductance. This study demonstrates that the down-regulation of photosynthesis in response to culm sugar accumulation reported previously could be due to the knock-on effect of accumulation of sugar in leaf tissue, and supports the contention that hexose, rather than sucrose, is responsible for the modulation of photosynthetic activity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cold injuries are frequently seen in Hydrangea macrophylla but not in Hydrangea paniculata. This may be ascribed to different levels of hardiness in the non-acclimated and the acclimated state, and to differences in responses to short day (SD) and low temperature (LT) and hence in the ability to cold acclimate. In this study H. macrophylla ssp. macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser. ‘Blaumeise’ and H. paniculata Sieb. ‘Kyushu’ were exposed to short photoperiod (10-h) and 4°C in controlled conditions for 25 days, with measurements and samplings carried out at regular intervals. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements revealed significant alterations in O–J–I–P fluorescence kinetics and decreases in the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in stressed plants, followed by less chlorophyll contents. Perturbations of the photosynthetic apparatus were relatively greater in H. macrophylla than in H. paniculata. Likewise, induction of a transient increase in xylem sap abscisic acid concentrations ([ABA]xylem) and accumulation of soluble sugars in leaves and stems were different in the two species. Stem cold hardiness in the non-acclimated state did not differ between H. macrophylla and H. paniculata, indicating equal sensitivity to sudden temperature drops in the growing season. Despite adaptive responses induced by the treatment neither species developed increased stem cold hardiness, suggesting that cold acclimation in Hydrangea may require exposure to temperatures below ca. 4°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Photosynthetic activity in C4 sugarcane has been suggested to be regulated by the demand for photoassimilate from sink tissues, including culm storage of sucrose and other components of the plant (e.g. roots and shoot primordia). This study examined the extent to which sink-demand influences leaf photosynthetic activity and controls leaf turnover in field-grown sugarcane. To increase sink-demand on selected leaves, plants were defoliated apart from the immature leaf before the first fully expanded leaf (2nd leaf) and the mature 8th leaf. Changes in leaf gas exchange and fluorescence characteristics were recorded for both leaves over a 28d period. Variations in leaf and culm sucrose and hexose concentrations and allocation of 14C-labelled photosynthate were also measured. A decrease in culm internodal sucrose concentrations in partially defoliated plants was associated with significant increases in assimilation (A) and electron transport rates (ETR) for both leaves 2 and 8. Conversely, accumulation of sucrose in the culms of control plants was related to a decline in photosynthetic rates in leaf 8 during the treatment period. Leaves 2 and 8 of defoliated plants (27d) were characterised by an increase in partitioning of 14C to mature and immature internodes, respectively, compared to control plants. In addition, hexose levels in leaves of defoliated plants decreased significantly (36% and 48% decrease in leaves 2 and 8, respectively) compared to corresponding leaves of untreated controls over the duration of the experiment, indicating that the signaling mechanisms regulating the decline in leaf photosynthetic activity are likely hexose-mediated. It was concluded that leaf physiological ageing in sugarcane was promoted by sucrose accumulation during culm maturation as a consequence of decreased sink-demand for photosynthate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cluster root (CR) formation contributes much to the adaptation to phosphorus (P) deficiency. CR formation by white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is affected by the P-limiting level in shoots, but not in roots. Thus, shoot-derived signals have been expected to transmit the message of P-deficiency to stimulate CR formation. In this study, it is shown that sugars are required for a response to P starvation including CR formation and the expression of P starvation-induced genes. White lupin plants were grown in vitro on P-sufficient or P-deficient media supplemented with sucrose for 4 weeks. Sucrose supply stimulated CR formation in plants on both P-sufficient and P-deficient media, but no CR appeared on the P-sufficient medium without sucrose. Glucose and fructose also stimulated CR formation on the P-sufficient medium. On the medium with sucrose, a high concentration of inorganic phosphate in leaves did not suppress CR formation. Because sorbitol or organic acid in the media did not stimulate CR formation, the sucrose effect was not due to increased osmotic pressure or enriched energy source, that is, sucrose acted as a signal. Gene transcription induced by P starvation, LaPT1 and LaPEPC3, was magnified by the combination of P limitation and sucrose feeding, and that of LaSAP was stimulated by sucrose supply independently of P supply. These results suggest that at least two sugar-signalling mediating systems control P starvation responses in white lupin roots. One system regulates CR formation and LaSAP expression, which acts even when P is sufficient if roots receive sugar as a signal. The other system controls LaPT1 and LaPEPC3 expression, which acts when P is insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In photosynthetic tissues of the CAM plant pineapple (Ananas comosus), storage of soluble sugars in the central vacuole during the daytime and their remobilization at night is required to provide carbon skeletons for nocturnal CO2 fixation. However, soluble sugars produced photosynthetically must also be exported to support growth processes in heterotrophic tissues. To begin to address how vacuolar sugar storage and assimilate partitioning are regulated in A. comosus, degenerate PCR and cDNA library screening were used to clone three candidate sugar transporters from the leaves of this species. Subcellular localization of the three transporters was investigated via expression of YFP-fusion proteins in tobacco epidermal cells and their co-localization with subcellular markers by confocal microscopy. Using this strategy, a putative hexose transporter (AcMST1) and a putative inositol transporter (AcINT1) were identified that both localized to the tonoplast, whereas a putative sucrose transporter (AcSUT1) was found to localize to prevacuolar compartments. A cDNA (AcMST2) with high similarity to a recently characterized tonoplast hexose transporter in Arabidopsis was also identified from an A. comosus fruit EST database. Analyses of transcript abundance indicated that AcMST1 was more highly expressed in fruits compared to leaves of A. comosus, whilst transcripts of AcINT1, AcSUT1, and AcMST2 were more abundant in leaves. Transcript abundance of AcINT1, the putative inositol transporter, showed day–night changes comparable to those of other CAM-related transcripts described in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. The results are discussed in terms of the role of vacuolar sugar transporters in regulating carbon flow during the diel cycle in CAM plants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

According to most textbooks, only non-reducing carbohydrate species such as sucrose, sugar alcohols, and raffinose-family sugars function as phloem translocates. Occasional abundance of reducing sugar species (such as hexoses) in sieve-tube sap has been discarded as an experimental artefact. This study, however, discloses a widespread occurrence of hexoses in the sieve-tube sap. Phloem exudation facilitated by EDTA provided evidence that many of the members of two plant families (Ranunculaceae and Papaveraceae) investigated translocate >80% of carbohydrates in the form of hexoses. Representatives of other families also appear to translocate appreciable amounts of hexoses in the sieve tubes. Promoting effects of EDTA, activities of sucrose-degrading enzymes, and sugar uptake by micro-organisms on hexose contents of phloem exudates were checked. The rate of sucrose degradation is far too low to explain the large proportions of hexoses measured in phloem exudates; nor did other factors tested seem to stimulate the occurrence of hexoses. The validity of the approach is further supported by the virtual absence of hexoses in exudates from species that were known as exclusive sucrose transporters. This study urges a rethink of the existing views on carbohydrate transport species in the phloem stream. Hexose translocation is to be regarded as a normal mode of carbohydrate transfer by the phloem equivalent to that of sucrose, raffinose-family sugars, or sugar alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Vascular endothelial cell (VEC) dysfunction in diabetes has been associated with hyperglycaemia-induced intra- and extracellular glycation of proteins and to overproduction of glucose-derived free radicals. VEC protect their intracellular environment against an increased influx of glucose in face of hyperglycaemia by reducing the expression and plasma membrane abundance of their glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1). We investigated the hypothesis that glucose-derived free radicals induce this down-regulatory mechanism in VEC, but proved the contrary. In fact, pro-oxidants significantly increased the expression and plasma membrane abundance of GLUT-1 and the rate of glucose transport in VEC while abolishing high-glucose-induced down-regulation of the hexose transport system. The resulting uncontrolled influx of glucose followed by overproduction of glucose-derived ROS further up-regulates the rate of glucose transport, and vice versa. This perpetuating glycoxidative stress finally leads to the collapse of the auto-regulatory protective mechanism and accelerates the development of dysfunctional endothelium in blood vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in growth at elevated [CO2] may be constrained by a plant's ability to assimilate the nutrients needed for new tissue in sufficient quantity to match the increase in carbon fixation and/or the ability to transport those nutrients and carbon in sufficient quantity to growing organs and tissues. Analysis of metabolites provides an indication of shifts in carbon and nitrogen partitioning due to rising atmospheric [CO2] and can help identify where bottlenecks in carbon utilization occur. In this study, the carbon and nitrogen balance was investigated in growing and fully expanded soybean leaves exposed to elevated [CO2] in a free air CO2 enrichment experiment. Diurnal photosynthesis and diurnal profiles of carbon and nitrogen metabolites were measured during two different crop growth stages. Diurnal carbon gain was increased by c. 20% in elevated [CO2] in fully expanded leaves, which led to significant increases in leaf hexose, sucrose, and starch contents. However, there was no detectable difference in nitrogen-rich amino acids and ureides in mature leaves. By contrast to mature leaves, developing leaves had high concentrations of ureides and amino acids relative to low concentrations of carbohydrates. Developing leaves at elevated [CO2] had smaller pools of ureides compared with developing leaves at ambient [CO2], which suggests N assimilation in young leaves was improved by elevated [CO2]. This work shows that elevated [CO2] alters the balance of carbon and nitrogen pools in both mature and growing soybean leaves, which could have down-stream impacts on growth and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Background and Aims Global warming is gaining significance as a threat to natural and managed ecosystems since temperature is one of the major environmental factors affecting plant productivity. Hence, the effects of moderate temperature increase on the growth and development of the tomato plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) were investigated.• Methods Plants were grown at 32/26 °C as a moderately elevated temperature stress (METS) treatment or at 28/22 °C (day/night temperatures) as a control with natural light conditions. Vegetative growth and reproductive development as well as sugar content and metabolism, proline content and translocation in the androecium were investigated.• Key Results METS did not cause a significant change in biomass, the number of flowers, or the number of pollen grains produced, but there was a significant decrease in the number of fruit set, pollen viability and the number of pollen grains released. Glucose and fructose contents in the androecium (i.e. all stamens from one flower) were generally higher in the control than METS, but sucrose was higher in METS. Coincidently, the mRNA transcript abundance of acid invertase in the androecium was decreased by METS. Proline contents in the androecium were almost the same in the control and METS, while the mRNA transcript level of proline transporter 1, which expresses specifically at the surface of microspores, was significantly decreased by METS.• Conclusions The research indicated that failure of tomato fruit set under a moderately increased temperature above optimal is due to the disruption of sugar metabolism and proline translocation during the narrow window of male reproductive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective was to determine the effects of supplementing hexoses in oocyte maturation and embryo culture medium on in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of porcine oocytes and in vitro development of in vitro produced (IVP) porcine embryos. In the first experiment, oocytes were matured in vitro in modified North Carolina State University (NCSU)-37 medium, supplemented with hexoses (glucose, fructose or galactose) at various concentrations: 0 (control), 2.5, 5.5 and 10mM. Supplementing the maturation medium with either glucose or fructose (5.5mM) increased the percentages of oocytes that matured to metaphase II (79.4 and 70.2%, respectively), as compared with the control group (P <0.05). However, supplementing galactose had no effects on meiotic maturation and fertilization. In the second experiment, cleaved embryos were collected 3 days after IVF of oocytes matured in the maturation medium supplemented with 5.5mM of glucose; they were cultured for an additional 4 days in modified NCSU-37 medium, supplemented with 5.5mM of glucose, fructose or galactose. The incidence of blastocyst formation was higher (P <0.05) in the glucose and fructose groups (18.6 and 18.2%, respectively) than in the galactose group and non-supplemented control group (12.9 and 9.2%). Moreover, fructose supplementation increased the total cell number/blastocyst (48.0 versus 37.6) and reduced the index of DNA-fragmented nucleus in the blastocysts (7.6% versus 11.8%), as compared with glucose supplementation (P <0.05). In conclusion, fructose was a practical alternative to glucose for supporting IVM of porcine oocytes and fructose was superior to glucose for producing high-quality porcine embryos in vitro. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]