Influence of sugars on blue light-induced chloroplast relocations

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of sugars on blue light-induced chloroplast movements. Sucrose and glucose inhibited chloroplast responses in the detached leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana and in Lemna trisulca fronds in a concentration and time-dependent manner. The prolonged exposure necessary for inhibition indicates that sugars may act via altered gene expression. Overexpression of phototropin2, a photoreceptor responsible for the strong blue light response of chloroplasts, counteracted the sugar effect. This may suggest that sugars modify some component(s) of the phototropin2-mediated signal transduction pathway. The expression of PHOT2 was not suppressed by sugars in wild type plants, it was even upregulated by glucose. Impaired chloroplast movements were observed only in mature Arabidopsis plants. The mRNA of SAG12, a late senescence marker, was not detectable in the sugar-incubated leaves. The SAG13 mRNA level and its regulation by sugars were similar in wild type and PHOT2 overexpressor. Thus, the sugar insensitivity of 35S:PHOT2 chloroplast responses was not due to delayed senescence. The sugar-induced transduction pathway involved remains unclear. 3-O-methylglucose did not affect chloroplast movements suggesting the participation of a hexokinase-dependent pathway. Only the amplitude of avoidance response was reduced in gin2-1, a hexokinase1 null mutant. Probably other hexokinases, or glycolysis-associated signals play a role in the suppression of chloroplast responses.