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Published on: August 25, 2018
Structure, evolution, and roles of SWEET proteins in growth and stress responses in plants
Yongxing Zhu1, Ye Tian2, Shuo Han3
1Hubei Key Laboratory of Waterlogging Disaster and Agricultural Use of Wetland/College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei, China; Spice Crops Research Institute, College of Horticulture and Gardening, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434000, Hubei, China.
Abstract:
Carbohydrates are exported by the SWEET family of transporters, which is a novel class of carriers that can transport sugars across cell membranes and facilitate sugar's long-distance transport from source to sink organs in plants. SWEETs play crucial roles in a wide range of physiologically important processes by regulating apoplastic and symplastic sugar concentrations. These processes include host-pathogen interactions, abiotic stress responses, and plant growth and development. In the present review, we (i) describe the structure and organization of SWEETs in the cell membrane, (ii) discuss the roles of SWEETs in sugar loading and unloading processes, (iii) identify the distinct functions of SWEETs in regulating plant growth and development including flower, fruit, and seed development, (iv) shed light on the importance of SWEETs in modulating abiotic stress resistance, and (v) describe the role of SWEET genes during plant-pathogen interaction. Finally, several perspectives regarding future investigations for improving the understanding of sugar-mediated plant defenses are proposed.
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