PubMed · 2026-06-11
A molecule called trehalose 6-phosphate acts as a master switch inside plants, reading sugar levels to decide when to sprout branches, fill seeds, form tubers, and transition from vegetative to flowering growth.
Trehalose 6-phosphate coordinates sucrose availability with major developmental decisions including seed filling, shoot branching, tuber formation, and the shift from vegetative to reproductive growth.
Genes in the trehalose 6-phosphate pathway show dynamic, tissue- and stage-specific expression patterns, suggesting the signal is precisely tuned in space and time rather than acting as a blunt whole-plant switch.
The pathway integrates both external environmental cues and internal hormonal signals, positioning it as a central hub where multiple developmental programs converge across both model plants and crop species.