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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Phosphoproteomic Strategy for Profiling Osmotic Stress Signaling in Arabidopsis
Published on: June 25, 2020
SnRK1 and trehalose 6-phosphate - two ancient pathways converge to regulate plant metabolism and growth
Elena Baena-González1, John Edward Lunn2
1Plant Stress Signaling, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal.
Abstract:
SUCROSE-NON-FERMENTING1-RELATED KINASE1 (SnRK1) belongs to a family of protein kinases that originated in the earliest eukaryotes and plays a central role in energy and metabolic homeostasis. Trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P) is the intermediate of trehalose biosynthesis, and has even more ancient roots, being found in all three domains of life - Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. In plants, the function of SnRK1 has diverged from its orthologues in fungi and animals, evolving new roles in signalling of nutrient status and abiotic stress. Tre6P has also acquired a novel function in plants as a signal and homeostatic regulator of sucrose, the dominant sugar in plant metabolism. These two ancient pathways have converged in a unique way in plants, enabling them to coordinate their metabolism, growth, and development with their environment, which is essential for their autotrophic and sessile lifestyle.
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