Tonoplast sucrose transporter SUT4-dependent sugar partitioning modulates phenological transitions and reproductive success in poplar.

ABSTRACT: Climate uncertainty is intensifying the need for greater plasticity in carbohydrate reserve utilization to support winter survival and spring growth in woody perennials. In poplar, the single-copy SUT4, which encodes a tonoplast-localized sucrose transporter, and the SUT5/SUT6 genome duplicates, which encode plasma membrane-localized transporters, are expressed year-round, with SUT4 showing the highest expression during cool seasons. Given its role in vacuolar sucrose efflux and winter-predominant expression, SUT4 may play a key role in modulating seasonal carbohydrate dynamics. While SUT4-knockdown and knockout effects have been studied under greenhouse conditions, their impact under field conditions remains unexplored. Here, we report a field-based study comparing CRISPR knockout mutants

SUBMITTER: Tuma TT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12619991 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature