The Regulation of Metabolism by Sugars During Plant Responses to Environmental Factors and Their Function During Development
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 1
Special Issue Editor
Interests: metabolic and ultrastructural responses of plants to sugar starvation; the role of saccharides in plant defense response to fungal pathogens; the involvement of sugars in regulation of the level of endogenous signaling molecules; effect of saccharides and nitric oxide on the mechanism regulating flavonoid biosynthesis; sugars and reactive oxygen species; sweet immunity; sugar metabolism and fruit development; the role of signaling molecules in plant defense response to aphids; the cross-talk between the abiotic and biotic factors on the generation of phytohormones and expression of genes involved in their biosynthesis
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The regulation of metabolism by sugars in plants not only relies on limiting the intensity of metabolism through their availability for respiratory processes and syntheses of organic compounds, but also the impact of these compounds, in particular sucrose and its monosaccharides, on the expression of many plant genes. Moreover, these primary metabolites function in a complex network with many bioactive molecules, which independently or in dialogue regulate the processes of plant growth and development, as well as response to stresses. The levels of sugars in plant cells and their transport, utilization, and storage are precisely regulated (so that exceeding a critical level does not trigger the catabolic repression mechanism) and strongly dependent on cell physiological activity, plant organ, environmental conditions, and plant developmental stage during ontogenesis. These levels are also tightly controlled by sugar transporters and enzymes. Sugars modulate all developmental phases, i.e., embryogenesis, seed dormancy, germination, vegetative and generative development, and senescence. During the above-mentioned phases of plant development, sugars coordinately but differentially activate or repress gene expression, and regulate both the transcription rate and mRNA stability.
We are pleased to invite you to submit manuscripts focused on the regulation of metabolism by sugars during various phases of plant development, environmental factor variations, and plant defense responses to abiotic and biotic stress factors. The papers concerning the role of sugars as signalling molecules in the processes regulating growth and development are welcome. We invite you to provide new data on the stimulation by sugars of efficient plant defense mechanisms against fungal pathogens and support for the previously well-established concept of “sweet immunity”. We are particularly interested in manuscripts demonstrating the importance of sugars in the induction of the synthesis of defensive compounds such as secondary metabolites and the use of these compounds in medical research. Additionally, new data on the effect of nanoparticles on sugar metabolism and enzymes catalyzing sugar metabolism would be desirable.
Prof. Dr. Iwona Morkunas
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- plant metabolism
- sugar signalling
- enzymes of sucrose metabolism
- environmental factors
- plant defense responses
- developmental regulation
- phytohormones
- secondary metabolites
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