Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Volatile Sex Pheromone Extraction and Chemoattraction Assay in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: August 9, 2024
Sugar signalling is involved in the sex expression response of monoecious cucumber to low temperature
Minmin Miao1, Xiaguang Yang, Xiaoshuang Han
1Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education, School of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, 12 Wenhui East Road, Yangzou 225009, China. mmmiao@yzu.edu.cn
Abstract:
This study aimed to investigate how low temperature alters the sex expression of monoecious cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.). Plants were grown under different day/night temperature regimes, 28 °C/18 °C (12 h/12 h), 18 °C/12 °C, 28 °C/12 °C, and 28 °C/(6 h 18 °C+6 h 12 °C). It was found that plant femaleness is highest in the 28 °C/(6 h 18 °C+6 h 12 °C) treatment. Analysis of endogenous phytohormones and sugars in the shoot apex revealed that plant femaleness is positively correlated with the levels of ethylene, abscisic acid (ABA), glucose, and sucrose. Exogenous application experiments suggest that ABA and ethylene biosynthesis, as well as plant femaleness, was enhanced by glucose, sucrose, and mannose, but not by 3-O-methylglucose. Exogenous ABA had no significant effect on ethylene biosynthesis and plant femaleness. Both low temperature- and sugar-induced ABA biosynthesis, ethylene evolution, and plant femaleness can be antagonized by the hexokinase inhibitor glucosamine and the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid. It is concluded that the enhancement of cucumber femaleness under various temperature regimes is induced by elevated levels of glucose and sucrose in the shoot apex through a sugar signalling pathway involving hexokinase.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
Yeast Signaling
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Dosage Compensation
In addition to sexual development, the X chromosome has genes involved in autosomal functions such as brain development and the immune system. Therefore, males and females with distinct numbers of X chromosomes will have...
Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...
Cell Signaling in Plants
