PARENT SESSION
Posters P4B Sugar signalling: Photosynthesis, hormones and development. Abstracts (480-527)

Regulation of photosynthesis and leaf metabolism by trehalose 6-phosphate. Matthew Paul^*,1, Henriette Schluepmann², Sjef Smeekens², Deveraj Jhurreea¹, Till Pellny¹, ¹ Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK² Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

ABSTRACT- The discovery of the trehalose pathway as a central and indispensable regulatory system in plants is a major finding in the field of metabolic regulation in recent years. Research on transgenic and mutant Arabidopsis has shown there is an obligate requirement for the trehalose pathway and trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) in particular in carbohydrate utilisation. An important consequence of altered T6P-dependent metabolism in leaves is an impact on photosynthetic metabolism. There is a large increase in photosynthetic capacity per unit leaf area in Arabidopsis and tobacco expressing otsA encoding E. coli trehalose phosphate synthase that gives rise to elevated T6P in leaves. This poster will describe research examining the mechanistic base for the increase in photosynthesis induced by T6P.

KEY WORDS: photosynthetic capacity, carbohydrate utilisation, trehalose 6-phosphate, sugar signalling