Trehalose 6-phosphate metabolism in C 4 species.

Trehalose 6-phosphate (Tre6P), the intermediate of trehalose biosynthesis, is an essential signal metabolite in plants, linking growth and development to carbon status. Our current understanding of Tre6P metabolism and signaling pathways in plants is based almost entirely on studies performed with Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant that performs C photosynthesis. Conversely, our knowledge on the molecular mechanisms involved in Tre6P regulation of carbon partitioning and metabolism in C plants is scarce. This topic is especially relevant due to the agronomic importance of crops performing C photosynthesis, such as maize, sorghum and sugarcane. In this review, we focused our attention on recent developments related to Tre6P metabolism in C species and raised some open questions that should be addressed in the near future to improve the yield of economically important crops.