Scientists find the genes that pack sugar into sugarcane stalks
Li B, Mo T, Zheng X, Gao S, Yang Z
Crop Improvement
Every spoonful of cane sugar traces back to a plant cell deciding where to stash its sweetness, and this research pinpoints the exact genetic switches driving that decision, which could eventually mean higher-yield, less resource-intensive sugar crops.
Sugarcane stores sugar in its stalks, but getting that sugar there requires an army of tiny molecular transporters ferrying sugar molecules from leaf to stem. Researchers found 190 of these transporter genes in a modern sugarcane variety, figured out which ones are most active during stalk growth, and tested a few by inserting them into other plants and cells, watching sugar levels rise as a result. That gives plant breeders a shortlist of genes worth tweaking to grow sweeter, more productive sugarcane.
Key Findings
Identified 190 non-redundant sugar transporter genes in sugarcane cultivar Guitang 42, classified into nine groups across MST, SUT, and SWEET gene families
Found lineage-specific gene expansions in PMT, STP, and SWEET subfamilies compared to wild and diploid relatives, likely from polyploidization and breeding for sugar yield
Confirmed three candidate transporters (ScSWEET4-T2, ScSWEET15, ScTST4-T1) actively move sugar and, when overexpressed in tobacco plants, changed soluble sugar accumulation
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists mapped nearly 200 sugar-transport genes in a modern sugarcane variety and showed that a handful of them can be switched on to boost sugar buildup in plant cells, offering breeders specific genetic targets to grow sweeter, higher-yielding cane.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Genomic and Functional Characterization of Sugar Transporters Reveals Potential Roles in Sugar Accumulation in a Modern Sugarcane Cultivar.
Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is a globally important sugar crop whose productivity depends on efficient sugar transport from source to sink organs. However, systematic identification and functional c...
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