Novel mechanisms of sugar-induced defense response

Abstract

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that is found in a variety of organisms including bacteria, yeast, fungi, insects and invertebrates in which it serves as a stress protectant and/or a reserve carbohydrate. Recent studies have suggested that trehalose biosynthesis is involved in regulation of sugar metabolism and ABA signal transduction. To address the function of trehalose in plant cells, we have itilized a microarry to screen trehalose-induced genes in rice. We found that trehalose treatment induces multiple defense-related genes in rice. We also found that trehalose induced resistance against rice blast fungus.