Biology subjects

LE HIR, R.

Publications and source records attributed to LE HIR, R..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Translational profiling uncovers a tonoplast sugar transporter essential for vascular system development and cell wall composition

The inflorescence stem of Arabidopsis thaliana is a powerful model to study vascular development and carbon allocation, yet the translational landscape underlying xylem differentiation remains poorly defined. Here, we address this gap using tissue-specific Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification sequencing (TRAP-seq) to resolve the translatomes of xylem vessels, xylem parenchyma, and interfascicular fibers. We show that the very early stage of metaxylem differentiation involves coordinated activation of primary metabolism, plastid functions, and cell wall biosynthesis, supporting the metabolic demands of secondary wall formation. Xylem parenchyma displays enrichment in hormone signaling, stress, and immune pathways, consistent with a role in integrating environmental and metabolic cues. Interfascicular fibers exhibit increased translation of ribosomal proteins and spliceosome components, pointing to high translational activity and a role for alternative splicing during late development and programmed cell death. We further identify the tonoplast sugar transporter SUGAR WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXPORTED TRANSPORTER 2 (SWEET2) as a key regulator of stem radial growth. Preferentially translated in early stage of metaxylem differentiation, SWEET2 acts as a rate-limiting component of vacuolar sugar exchange, controlling cytosolic hexose availability for secondary wall biosynthesis. By contrast, SWEET16 and SWEET17 exert more specialized, tissue-specific functions. Together, our findings establish subcellular sugar partitioning as a central determinant of vascular development and highlight the power of translatome profiling.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Changes in SWEET-mediated sugar partitioning affect photosynthesis performance and plant response to drought

Sugars, produced through photosynthesis, are at the core of all organic compounds synthesized and used for plant growth and response to environmental changes. Their production, transport, and utilization are highly regulated and integrated throughout the plant life cycle. The maintenance of sugar partitioning between the different subcellular compartments and between cells is important in adjusting the photosynthesis performance and response to abiotic constraints. Here, we investigated, in Arabidopsis, the consequences of the disruption of four genes coding for SWEET sugar transporters (SWEET11, SWEET12, SWEET16, and SWEET17) on plant photosynthesis and response to drought. Our results show that mutations in both SWEET11 and SWEET12 genes lead to an increase of cytosolic sugars in mesophyll cells and phloem parenchyma cells, which impacts several photosynthesis-related parameters. Further, our results suggest that in the swt11swt12 double mutant, the sucrose-induced feedback mechanism on stomatal closure is poorly efficient. On the other hand, changes in fructose partitioning in mesophyll and vascular cells, measured in the swt16swt17 double mutant, positively impact gas exchanges, probably through an increased starch synthesis together with higher vacuolar sugar storage. Finally, we propose that the impaired sugar partitioning, rather than the total amount of sugar observed in the quadruple mutant, is responsible for the enhanced sensitivity upon drought. This work highlights the importance of considering SWEET-mediated sugar partitioning rather than global sugar content in photosynthesis performance and plant response to drought. Such knowledge will pave the way to design new strategies to maintain plant productivity in a challenging environment.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Carbohydrate distribution via SWEET17 is critical for Arabidopsis inflorescence branching under drought

Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEETs) are the most recently discovered family of plant sugar transporters. Functioning as uniporters and thus facilitating the diffusion of sugars across cell membranes, SWEETs play an important role in various physiological processes such as abiotic stress adaptation. AtSWEET17, a vacuolar fructose facilitator, was shown to be involved in the modulation of the root system during drought. Moreover, overexpression of a homolog from apple results in increased drought tolerance of tomato plants. Therefore, SWEET17 appears to be essential for the plants drought response. Nevertheless, the role and function of SWEET17 in aboveground tissues under drought stress to date remains enigmatic. By combining gene expression analysis with analysis of the sugar profile of various aboveground tissues, we uncovered a putative role of SWEET17 in the carbohydrate supply, and thus cauline branch emergence and growth, particularly during periods of carbon limitation as occurs under drought stress. SWEET17 thereby being of critical importance for maintaining efficient reproduction under drought stress. HighlightThe fructose transporter SWEET17 supports shoot branching by increasing mobilization of carbohydrates from vacuoles to supply the newly forming inflorescence branch, thereby maintaining efficient reproduction under drought stress.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Role of the SUT1 and SUT2 sugar transporters during stolbur phytoplasma infection in tomato

Phytoplasmas inhabit phloem sieve elements and cause abnormal growth and altered sugar partitioning. But how they interact with phloem functions is not clearly known. The phloem responses were investigated in tomato infected by Candidatus Phytoplasma solani, at the beginning of the symptomatic stage of infection, both in symptomatic and asymptomatic leaves, the first symptoms appearing in the sink top leaf at the stem apex. Antisense lines impaired in the phloem sucrose transporters SUT1 and SUT2 were included. The infection in source leaves was not associated with symptoms. In the symptomatic, sink leaf, yellowing and leaf curling was associated with higher starch accumulation and expression of defense genes. The transcriptional analysis of symptomatic leaf midribs indicated that transcript levels for genes acting in the glycolysis and peroxisome metabolism in infected plants differed from these in non-infected plants. Phytoplasma multiplied actively in at least three additional lower leaves although they were symptomless, with no sign of activation of defense markers, although the rate of exudation of sucrose from these symptomless, source leaves was lower for infected plants. A few metabolites in phloem-enriched exudate were affected by the infection, such as glycolate and aspartate, and some of them were also affected in the control SUT1- and SUT2- antisense lines, in which sucrose retrieval or release in the sieve elements are impaired. A metabolic switch could explain the delivery of more glycolate into the sieve elements of infected plants. The findings suggest a link between sugar transport and redox homeostasis. One sentence summaryAn impairment of sucrose retrieval and release in the sieve elements occurs during phytoplasma infection, associated with changes in sugar and peroxisome metabolism

plant biology↗