Filip Rolland talk with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about
this month's New Hot
Paper* in the field of
Plant & Animal Science.
Article Title: Sugar sensing and signaling in
plants: Conserved and novel mechanisms
Authors:
Rolland,
F;Baena-Gonzalez, E;Sheen, J
Journal: ANNU REV PLANT BIOL
Volume: 57
Issue:
Page: :675-709
Year: 2006
* Katholieke Univ Leuven VIB, Dept Mol Microbiol, B-3001
Heverlee, Belgium.
* Katholieke Univ Leuven VIB, Dept Mol Microbiol, B-3001
Heverlee, Belgium.
(addresses have been truncated)
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
This paper provides a comprehensive overview and update of the latest
findings in the very exciting and rapidly evolving field of sugar sensing
and signaling in plants, which affects nearly all aspects of plant growth
and development. Several of the mechanisms discussed turn out to be
conserved throughout evolution, from yeast to man, underscoring their
fundamental and pivotal roles and the relevance of this research for other
organisms as well.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
"Future
research will further elaborate on
the precise molecular mechanisms
involved and the target genes and
processes affected."
This paper is a review providing a synthesis of knowledge from various
perspectives.
How would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman’s terms?
Research during the last decade has firmly established the general dual
role of sugars as both regulatory signaling molecules and carbon and energy
sources. Important contributions have come from work done with the model
plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
This review comprehensively covers the different possible sources of sugar
signals in plants, mutants identified in a variety of screens, the sugar
regulation of genes and proteins at different levels, and both
evolutionarily conserved—for example, comparing the findings in
yeast, which serves as an excellent model and tool—and novel,
plant-specific mechanisms and target genes and processes. We hope to
provide a general information basis for a broad readership and also help to
determine future directions in research.
How did you become involved in this research, and were
there any particular problems encountered along the way?
After obtaining a Ph.D. in yeast genetics, studying yeast glucose-sensing
and cAMP signaling, I took the opportunity to explore a new, multicellular,
and aesthetically more appealing model organism at Massachusetts General
Hospital/Harvard Medical School. The transition went very smoothly and I
became fascinated by the physiology, flexibility, and plasticity of plant
growth, along with the numerous complex hormones and signaling pathways.
The wider implications of sugar signaling for plant growth and physiology
have been quite stimulating and have led to the development of broad
research interests.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
Recent research has revealed an important role for the enzyme hexokinase1
(HXK1) as a conserved glucose sensor, acting directly on gene expression by
associating with nuclear complexes (Moore B, et al., “Role
of the Arabidopsis glucose sensor HXK1 in nutrient, light, and
hormonal signaling,” Science 14: 332-336, 2003.; Cho Y,
et al., “Regulatory functions of nuclear hexokinase1 complex
in glucose signaling,” Cell 127: 579-589, 2006).
Our focus has now also been expanded to understanding how plants deal with
dark and stress conditions that compromise photosynthesis and respiration
and deplete energy supplies. Our most recent paper (Baena-Gonzalez E,
et al. “A central integrator of transcription networks in
plant stress and energy signaling” Nature 448: 938-943,
2007) describes the role of the conserved protein kinases KIN10/11 as the
central integrators of large transcription networks in plant stress and
energy signaling.
Future research will further elaborate on the precise molecular mechanisms
involved and the target genes and processes affected. We are expecting to
learn more from the combination of powerful cellular and systems screens
and the development of new technologies. Finally, a major challenge will be
to translate this knowledge to agronomical applications.
Are there any social or political implications for your
research?
Since sugar signals mediate the plant’s response to changes in the
environment and profoundly affect and control plant carbon allocation,
stress resistance, architecture, and development, they provide a huge
potential for improving crop yield and renewable energy production. Given
the broad complexity and the very profound effects, figuring out the
molecular details of the signaling pathways will be crucial in order to
facilitate directed genetic modification of crop plants.
Filip Rolland
Post-doctoral researcher
VIB Department of Molecular Microbiology
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology
Institute of Botany and Microbiology
Heverlee-Leuven, Belgium
*Note, this comment (received March 2008)
pertains to a previous data period.
View the list of New Hot Papers for source date
information regarding that period.