The versatile role of glucose signalling in regulating growth, development and stress responses in plants

Abstract

Sugars as an energy source and a signalling molecule are indispensible for growth, development and stress responses in plants. Among sugars, glucose (Glc) has been identified to perform a key role in regulating various cellular and developmental processes in plants. This comprehensive review highlights the crosstalk of glucose signalling with auxin, cytokinin and brassinosteroid signalling in controlling several aspects of plant development including root growth deviation, root waving and coiling, lateral root emergence, hypocotyl elongation, etc. through a Hexokinase 1 dependent and independent pathway in Arabidopsis. It also provides an insight on the role of Glc-mediated target of rapamycin signalling in modulating various abiotic stresses like nutrient deficiency stress, heat stress, oxidative stress etc. The review also discusses about sugar inducible FCS-Like Zinc Finger genes in modulating SNF1-related protein kinase 1 signalling to coordinate growth and stress responses in plants. Therefore, glucose signalling in concert with diverse signalling pathways and via regulating certain genes contributes to numerous cellular processes to control development and stress responses in plants.