Article,
Coordination of carbon supply and plant growth.
Plant Cell Environ., 30 (9): 1126-49 (September 2007)
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01708.x
Abstract
Plants must achieve a
balance between carbon assimilation, storage and growth, but little
is known about how this is achieved. We describe evidence for the
existence of regulatory mechanisms that coordinate carbon supply and
use, and the likely central role of sugar signalling. We propose the
existence of both 'acute' and 'acclimatory' responses to alterations in
carbon supply, the latter tuning the balance between carbon supply
and demand to optimise the capacity for sustained growth. A full
understanding of these responses requires new, systems-level approaches
that integrate information from transcriptomic, enzyme activity,
metabolomic and growth analyses. We illustrate the complexity of
acute and acclimatory responses by consideration of the control of
starch synthesis and degradation in leaves. Finally, we consider
how carbon balance may be linked to growth, and the importance of
these linkages for sustained plant growth in a changing environment.
