Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2025

Characterization of Membrane Transporters by Heterologous Expression in E. coli and Production of Membrane Vesicles
Published on: December 31, 2019
How vacuolar sugar transporters evolve and control cellular sugar homeostasis, organ development and crop yield
Lingcheng Zhu1, Jincheng Lan1, Tao Zhao1
1State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, College of Horticulture, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China.
Abstract:
Sugar exchange among different subcellular compartments is central for achieving cellular sugar homeostasis and directly affects the yield and quality of many horticultural and field crops. While a portion of photosynthesis-originated sugars is metabolized through glycolysis upon entering the cytosol, the remainder is reversibly channelled to the vacuole, mediated by different families of vacuolar sugar transporter (VST) located on the vacuolar membrane, the tonoplast. Historically, sugar transporters operating on plasma membranes have been studied more than those on tonoplasts. Recently, however, several breakthroughs have shed light on (1) the distinct roles of VSTs in plant development and stress responses and (2) how seemingly unrelated classes of VSTs act together to modulate sugar influx into and efflux from the vacuoles. Here we evaluate these advances, analyse the evolution of VSTs and identify knowledge gaps and future directions for better understanding and manipulation of cytosolic-vacuolar sugar exchange to optimize plant performance.
More Related Videos
11:27A Flexible Low Cost Hydroponic System for Assessing Plant Responses to Small Molecules in Sterile Conditions
Published on: August 25, 2018
05:28Demonstration of Heterologous Complexes formed by Golgi-Resident Type III Membrane Proteins using Split Luciferase Complementation Assay
Published on: September 10, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Phloem and Sugar Transport
Glucose Transporters
Facilitated diffusion-glucose transporters (GLUTs) are encoded by the solute-linked carrier (SLC) family 2, subfamily A gene family, or SLC2A. The 14 GLUT protein members are distributed into three classes:
Transcellular Transport of Solutes
Glucose Absorption Into the Small Intestine
Sugars as Energy Storage Molecules
Short-distance Transport of Resources