The effect of sucrose and sulfamethoxazole on the Arabidopsis transcriptome

A chemical screen was performed in search of compounds that modify plant responses to sucrose. This screen uncovered that sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a folate biosynthesis inhibitor, acted synergistically with sucrose to inhibit hypocotyl elongation, suggesting interaction between these two pathways. Transcriptome analysis was performed to identify changes in transcript abundance that may underpin crosstalk between sucrose and SMX. Three-day-old dark-grown seedlings were treated to sucrose and SMX at concentrations that induced no change in hypocotyl elongation when administered independently, yet restricted elongation when both were present in the growth media (10mM and 0.2M, respectively). This analysis uncovered multiple core auxin signalling components that exhibit altered transcript abundance in response to co-treatment with sucrose and SMX, suggesting that auxin signalling mediates crosstalk between these two pathways. This study highlights an input through which metabolic status can shape plant growth and development through hormone signalling.

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Stokes ME, Chattopadhyay A, Wilkins O, Nambara E, Campbell MM