The role of trehalose biosynthesis in plants.

The role of trehalose in plants is a curious one. Originally believed to serve as an osmoprotectant, its presence in plants at very low levels makes this role unlikely. This month’s High Impact article by Avonce et al., titled ‘‘The Arabidopsis Trehalose-6-P Synthase AtTPS1 Gene Is a Regulator of Glucose, Abscisic Acid, and Stress Signaling,’’ appeared in our November 2004 issue and adds to the growing body of evidence that it is not trehalose itself but more likely a synthesis pathway intermediate or perhaps an enzyme of the synthesis pathway that plays a key role in plants.