Mulberry Leaf Metabolism under High Temperature Stress

Effects of high temperature on the activity of photosynthetic enzymes and leaf proteins were studied in mulberry (Morus alba L. cv. BC2-59). A series of experiments were conducted at regular intervals (120, 240 and 360 min) to characterize changes in activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), photosystem 2 (PS 2) activity, chlorophyll (Chl), carotenoid (Car), starch, sucrose (Suc), amino acid, free proline, protein and nucleic acid contents in leaves under high temperature (40 °C) treatments. High temperature markedly reduced the activities of RuBPC and SPS in leaf extracts. Chl content and PS 2 activity in isolated chloroplasts were also affected by high temperature, particularly over 360 min treatment. Increased leaf temperature affected sugar metabolism through reductions in leaf starch content and sucrose-starch balance. While total soluble protein content decreased under heat, total amino acid content increased. Proline accumulation (1.5-fold) was noticed in high temperature-stressed leaves. A reduction in the contents of foliar nitrogen and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) was also noticed. SDS-PAGE protein profile showed few additional proteins (68 and 85 kDa) in mulberry plants under heat stress compared to control plants. Our results clearly suggest that mulberry plants are very sensitive to high temperature with particular reference to the photosynthetic carbon metabolism.     

Effect of Glycinebetaine on Chloroplast Ultrastructure, Chlorophyll and Protein Content, and RuBPCO Activities in Tomato Grown under Drought or Salinity

The effect of foliar-applied glycinebetaine (GB) on chloroplast ultrastructure, the amount of chlorophyll and proteins and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) activity in stressed tomato leaves were analysed. Initial, and total activity and activation state state of RuBPCO were also measured. RuBPCO activities, chloroplast area, and the number of plastoglobuli remained unaffected, while the relative area of starch granules increased in GB-treated, salt-stressed tomato leaflets. Under drought-stress, the relative area of plastoglobuli increased upon GB application. The primary effect of GB was, however, the increased protein and chlorophyll content.     

甘草叶片渗透调节物质及蔗糖代谢相关酶对干旱胁迫的响应特性

该研究以甘草幼苗为试材,采用盆栽自然干旱方法,设计对照(CK)、轻度(LS)、中度(MS)、重度(SS)干旱胁迫处理,测定分析甘草叶片的渗透调节物质及蔗糖代谢相关酶[蔗糖磷酸合成酶(SPS)、蔗糖合成酶合成方向(Ss+)、蔗糖合成酶分解方向(Ss-)、中性转化酶(NI)、酸性转化酶(AI)、淀粉磷酸化酶(SP)]活性的变化,以探讨甘草的渗透调节特性以及糖分调节的酶学机制,揭示甘草对干旱胁迫的响应机理。结果显示:(1)随着干旱胁迫程度的加剧,甘草叶片可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白和脯氨酸含量呈逐渐增加的趋势,束缚水/自由水的比值呈先增加后降低的趋势。(2)随着干旱胁迫程度的加剧,甘草叶片蔗糖、葡萄糖、果糖含量均呈先升高后降低的趋势,但不同胁迫强度出现峰值的时间不同;其中在CK和LS干旱胁迫时蔗糖含量淀粉含量葡萄糖含量果糖含量,在MS和SS干旱胁迫时淀粉含量葡萄糖含量蔗糖含量果糖含量,表明随着干旱程度的增加,甘草叶片中蔗糖转化成了淀粉。(3)随着干旱胁迫程度的加重,甘草叶片的SPS活性呈先升高后降低的趋势,Ss活性和Inv(蔗糖转化酶)活性呈逐渐升高的趋势,SP活性呈逐渐降低的趋势;各胁迫处理的Ss+活性与CK差异不显著,而Ss-活性与CK差异显著,并且Ss-活性在各胁迫处理下远大于Ss+活性,表明甘草叶片Ss-活性在蔗糖代谢过程中占主导作用。(4)相关分析结果显示,在LS中,NI与蔗糖呈负相关关系,Ss-与淀粉呈显著正相关关系、与蔗糖呈负相关关系;在MS中,蔗糖和葡萄糖与SPS、Ss+、Ss-、NI和AI均呈正相关关系,与SP呈负相关关系;在SS中,SP和NI与蔗糖呈正相关关系,而与淀粉呈负相关关系;表明在轻度干旱处理下,Ss参加了蔗糖的分解,继而合成淀粉;在中度和重度干旱条件下,SP主要催化淀粉的分解来增加蔗糖含量以此平衡蔗糖代谢。     

Fructan synthesis is inhibited by phosphate in warm-grown, but not in cold-treated, excised barley leaves

The inhibition of fructan accumulation by phosphate was investigated in warm-grown and cold-treated barley (Hordeum vulgare) plants. Detached leaves were incubated in water or phosphate for 24 h under lighting or in darkness. Fructosyltransferase, sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) activities were subsequently analysed, as well as the content of carbohydrates, hexose-phosphates, phosphate, amino acids and protein. In warm-grown leaves, phosphate decreased fructan accumulation and total carbon in carbohydrates and did not affect protein content. Phosphate increased hexose-phosphates, phosphate and amino acids. Fructosyltransferase and FBPase activities were not affected by phosphate feeding, while SPS activity was inhibited by phosphate in incubations in both light and darkness. In cold-treated leaves, which before incubation had higher SPS activities than warm-grown leaves, phosphate had no inhibitory effect on fructan accumulation, carbohydrate content or total C in carbohydrates. The activities of SPS and FBPase were unaffected by phosphate. The results indicate that phosphate decreases fructan accumulation through an inhibition of SPS whenever this activity is not high before a rise in phosphate content.     

Sucrose Metabolism in Bean Plants Under Water Deficit

The effects of water stress on sucrose metabolism were evaluatedin bean plants of Tacarigua variety grown for 25 d. Decreasingwater potential and relative water content were observed. Waterstress effects resulted in a decrease of sucrose phosphate synthase(SPS) in both total (substrate saturating conditions) and Pi-insensitive(substrate limiting conditions plus inorganic phosphate) activities.The SPS Pi-insensitive activity was lower than the total SPSactivity, but the decrease in activity induced by water deficitwas relatively lower in the Pi-insensitive; however the activationstate increased during the water deficit period. An increasein sucrose synthase activity increased the activities of bothneutral and acid invertases at moderate water stress (–0·8MPa) and decreased activities at severe water stress(–1·45 MPa). The activity values of neutral invertasewere lower than those for the acid invertase. The starch/sucroseratio decreased and the ratio of total glucose/total fructoseincreased. These results indicate a relevant physiological roleof SPS in bean plants under water stress. Key words: Acid invertase, sucrose phosphate synthase, sucrose synthase     

Decreased expression of sucrose phosphate synthase strongly inhibits the water stress-induced synthesis of sucrose in growing potato tubers

Water stress stimulates sucrose synthesis and inhibits starch synthesis in wild-type tubers. Antisense and co-suppression potato transformants with decreased expression of sucrose–phosphate synthase (SPS) have been used to analyse the importance of SPS for the regulation of this water-stress induced change in partitioning. (i) In the absence of water stress, a 70–80% decrease in SPS activity led to a 30–50% inhibition of sucrose synthesis and a slight (10–20%) increase of starch synthesis in tuber discs in short-term labelling experiments with low concentrations of labelled glucose. Similar changes were seen in short-term labelling experiments with intact tubers attached to well-watered plants. Provided plants were grown with ample light and water, transformant tubers had a slightly lower water and sucrose content and a similar or even marginally higher starch content than wild-type tubers. (ii) When wild-type tuber slices were incubated with labelled glucose in the presence of mannitol to generate a moderate water deficit (between –0.12 and –0.72 MPa), there was a marked stimulation of sucrose synthesis and inhibition of starch synthesis. A similar stimulation was seen in labelling experiments with wild-type tubers that were attached to water-stressed wild-type plants. These changes were almost completely suppressed in transformants with a 70–80% reduction of SPS activity. (iii) Decreased irrigation led to an increase in the fraction of the dry-matter allocated to tubers in wild-type plants. This shift in allocation was prevented in transformants with reduced expression of SPS. (iv) The results show that operation of SPS and the sucrose cycle in growing potato tubers may lead to a marginal decrease in starch accumulation in non-stressed plants. However, SPS becomes a crucial factor in water-stressed plants because it is required for adaptive changes in tuber metabolism and whole plant allocation.     

去果河套蜜瓜源叶碳水化合物及其相关酶昼夜变化特征

以河套蜜瓜为试材,在果实迅速膨大期通过去果处理改变库源关系,研究源叶净光合速率,蔗糖、还原糖和淀粉含量及其代谢相关酶活性的昼夜变化规律。结果表明:(1)源叶的净光合速率为单峰曲线,无明显的"光合午休"现象,去果处理对其无影响。(2)源叶中蔗糖和还原糖含量的昼夜变化为单峰曲线,蔗糖磷酸合成酶和蔗糖合成酶合成方向活性的昼夜变化为双峰曲线,蔗糖合成酶分解方向、酸性转化酶和中性转化酶活性的昼夜变化无明显规律,改变库源关系对这些指标均无显著影响;蔗糖含量升高受蔗糖磷酸合成酶和蔗糖合成酶合成方向正调控,而蔗糖含量降低则受多种酶的共同调节。(3)源叶中淀粉含量和腺苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶活性的昼夜变化为单峰曲线,去果处理可以显著提高淀粉含量和腺苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶活性,淀粉含量升高受腺苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶正调控。     

Effect of water deficit on carbohydrate status and enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism in seedlings of wheat cultivars

The effect of water deficit on carbohydrate status and enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism (alpha and beta amylases, sucrose phosphate synthase, sucrose synthase, acid and alkaline invertases) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was investigated in the seedlings of drought-sensitive (PBW 343) and drought-tolerant (C 306) cultivars. The water deficit was induced by adding 6% mannitol (water potential -0.815 Mpa) in the growth medium. The water deficit reduced starch content in the shoots of tolerant seedlings as compared to the sensitive ones, but increased sucrose content in the shoots and roots of tolerant seedlings, indicating their protective role during stress conditions. It also decreased the alpha-amylase activity in the endosperm of seedlings of both the cultivars, but increased alpha and beta amylase activities in the shoots of tolerant ones. Sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity showed a significant increase at 6 days of seedling growth (DSG) in the shoots of stressed seedlings of tolerant cultivar. However, SPS activity in the roots of stressed seedlings of sensitive cultivar was very low at 4 DSG and appeared significantly only at day 6. Sucrose synthase (SS) activity was lower in the shoots and roots of stressed seedlings of tolerant cultivar than sensitive ones at early stage of seedling growth. Higher acid invertase activity in the shoots of seedlings of tolerant cultivar appeared to be a unique characteristic of this cultivar for stress tolerance. Alkaline invertase activity, although affected under water deficit conditions, but was too low as compared to acid invertase activity to cause any significant affect on sucrose hydrolysis. In conclusion, higher sucrose content with high SPS and low acid invertase and SS activities in the roots under water deficit conditions could be responsible for drought tolerance of C 306.     

Leaf age effects on solute accumulation in water-stressed grapevines

The effects of leaf age on water relations, organic solute, and total ion accumulation were studied in mature and immature leaves of two-year-old grapevines (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Savatiano) grown under water stress conditions. Osmotic potential at full turgor decreased significantly in leaves of stressed plants, irrespective of leaf age, indicating the occurrence of an active osmotic adjustment. The apoplastic water fraction (A) increased during leaf ontogeny in both control and stressed plants. However, the values of A were lower in stressed plants. Starch concentration decreased significantly in both mature and immature leaves during the drought cycle, while the relative proportion of monosaccharides and sucrose was markedly different in immature leaves compared to mature. The accumulation of total inorganic ions, induced by drought, was also age dependent, increasing significantly with leaf age, while there were no significant differences in total amino acids content. Inorganic ions and carbohydrates seem to be the major component of osmotic adjustment in mature and immature grapevine leaves, respectively.     

Regulation of key enzymes of sucrose biosynthesis in soybean leaves : effect of dark and light conditions and role of gibberellins and abscisic Acid

An important part in the understanding of the regulation of carbon partitioning within the leaf is to investigate the endogenous variations of parameters related to carbon metabolism. This study of diurnal changes in the activities of sucrose-synthesizing enzymes and levels of nonstructural carbohydrates in intact leaves of field-grown soybean plants (Glycine max [L.]) showed pronounced diurnal fluctuations in sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity. However, there was no distinct diurnal change in the activity of fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (F1,6BPase). SPS activity in leaves from plants grown in controlled environments presented two peaks during the light period. In contrast to field-grown plants, F1,6BPase activity in leaves from growth chamber-grown plants manifested one peak during the first half of the light period. In plants grown under both conditions, sucrose and starch accumulation rates were highest during early hours of the light period. By the end of the dark period, most of the starch was depleted. A pattern of diurnal fluctuations of abscisic acid (ABA) levels in leaves was also observed under all growing conditions. Either imposition of water stress or exogenous applications of ABA inhibited F1,6BPase activity. However, SPS-extractable activity increased following water deficit but did not change in response to ABA treatment. Gibberellin application to intact soybean leaves increased levels of both starch and sucrose. Both gibberellic acid (10⁻⁶m) and gibberellins 4 and 7 (10⁻⁵m) increased the activity of SPS but had an inconsistent effect on F1,6BPase. Correlation studies between the activities of SPS and F1,6BPase suggest that these two enzymes are coordinated in their function, but the factors that regulate them may be distinct because they respond differently to certain environmental and physiological changes.     

Biochemical Basis for Partitioning of Photosynthetically Fixed Carbon between Starch and Sucrose in Soybean (Glycine max Merr.) Leaves

The control of photosynthetic starch/sucrose formation in leaves of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) cultivars was studied in relation to stage of plant development, photosynthetic photoperiod, and nitrogen source. At each sampling, leaf tissue was analyzed for starch content, activities of sucrose-metabolizing enzymes, and labeling of starch and sucrose (by ¹⁴CO₂ assimilation) in isolated cells. In three of the four varieties tested, nodulated plants had lower leaf starch levels and higher activities of sucrose phosphate synthetase (SPS), and isolated mesophyll cells incorporated more carbon (percentage of total ¹⁴CO₂ fixed) into sucrose and less into starch as compared to nonnodulated (nitrate-dependent) plants. The variation among cultivars and nitrogen treatments observed in the activity of SPS in leaf extracts was positively correlated with labeling of sucrose in isolated cells (r = 0.81) and negatively correlated with whole leaf starch content (r = −0.66). The results suggested that increased demand for assimilates by nodulated roots may be accommodated by greater partitioning of carbon into sucrose in the mesophyll cells. We have also confirmed the earlier report (Chatterton, Silvius 1979 Plant Physiol 64: 749-753) that photoperiod affects partitioning of fixed carbon into starch. Within two days of transfer of nodulated soybean Ransom plants from a 14-hour to a 7-hour photoperiod, leaf starch accumulation rates doubled, and this effect was associated with increased labeling of starch and decreased labeling of sucrose in isolated cells. Concurrently, activities of SPS, sucrose synthase, and uridine diphosphatase in leaves were decreased.     

Analysis of carbon metabolism in transgenic<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> transformed with the cyanobacterial sucrose phosphate synthase gene

To investigate the effects of sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) on carbon partitioning, transgenicArabidopsis plants transformed withSynechocystis SPS were constructed. The integration, copy number and expression level were confirmed by Southern and Northern blot analyses. SPS activity in leaves from the transgenic and wild type plants was not significantly different. The level of sucrose and starch in the leaves of transgenic plant were slightly decreased compared to wild type. The glucose and fructose contents were increased up to two-fold compared to wild type during the light period. It is our speculation that the decreased sucrose level of the transgenic plant might be caused by the high acid invertase. These authors contributed equally to this work     

Sucrose phosphate synthase activity and the co-ordination of carbon partitioning during sucrose and amino acid accumulation in desiccation-tolerant leaf material of the C4 resurrection plant Sporobolus stapfianus during dehydration

Both sucrose and amino acids accumulate in desiccation-tolerant leaf material of the C(4) resurrection plant, Sporobolus stapfianus Gandoger (Poaceae). The present investigation was aimed at examining sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activity and various metabolic checkpoints involved in the co-ordination of carbon partitioning between these competing pathways during dehydration. In the initial phase of dehydration, photosynthesis and starch content declined to immeasurable levels, whilst significant increases in hexose sugars, sucrose, and amino acids were associated with concomitant significant increases in SPS and pyruvate kinase (PK) activities, and maximal activity levels of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase), NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP-ICDH), and NADH-dependent glutamate synthase (NADH-GOGAT). The next phase of dehydration was characterized by changes in metabolism coinciding with net hexose sugar phosphorylation. This phase was characterized by a further significant increase in sucrose accumulation, with increased rates of net sucrose accumulation and maximum rates of SPS activity measured under both saturating and limiting (inhibitory) conditions. SPS protein was also increased. The stronger competitive edge of SPS for carbon entering glycolysis during hexose phosphorylation was also demonstrated by the further decrease in respiration and the simultaneous, significant decline in both PEPCase and PK activities. A decreased anabolic demand for 2-oxoglutarate (2OG), which remained constant, was shown by the co-ordinated decrease in GOGAT. It is proposed that the further increase in amino acids in this phase of dehydration may be in part attributable to the breakdown of insoluble proteins.     

The Pattern of Changes in Photosynthetic Apparatus in Response to Cold Acclimation and De-acclimation in Two Contrasting Cultivars of Oilseed Rape

In spring and winter cultivars of oilseed rape (Brassica napus var. oleifera), acclimation of photosynthetic apparatus to cold was connected with the increase in activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS). Conversely, cold de-acclimation entailed the decline of RuBPCO and SPS activities. The rate of this photosynthetic de-acclimation might depend on day temperature. On the other hand, temperature rise during de-acclimation (identical during the day and night) resulted in the improvement of photosynthetic activity measured by means of chlorophyll fluorescence. An increase in SPS activity (and even transitory increase in RuBPCO activity) was observed when the elongation growth rate (EGR) accelerated during de-acclimation. Throughout re-acclimation, plants with high EGR were unable to maintain or recover higher photosynthetic capacity, despite the fact that SPS activity remained high or even increased during re-acclimation.     

Effects of Chilling Temperature on the Activity of Enzymes of Sucrose Synthesis and the Accumulation of Saccharides in Leaves of Three Sugarcane Cultivars Differing in Cold Sensitivity

The effects of short-term exposure to chilling temperature (10 °C) on sucrose synthesis in leaves of the cold-tolerant sugarcane cultivars Saccharum sinense R. cv. Yomitanzan and Saccharum sp. cv. NiF4, and the cold-sensitive cultivar S. officinarum L. cv. Badila were studied. Plants were grown at day/night temperatures of 30/25 °C, and then shifted to a constant day/night temperature of 10 °C. After 52-h exposure to the chilling temperature, sucrose content in the leaves of NiF4 and Yomitanzan showed a 2.5- to 3.5-fold increase relative to that of the control plants that had been left on day/night temperatures of 30/25 °C. No such increase was observed in Badila leaves. Similarly, starch content in the leaves of NiF4 and Yomitanzan was maintained high, but starch was depleted in Badila leaves after the 52-h exposure. During the chilling temperature, sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS; E.C.2.4.1.14) activity was relatively stable in the leaves of NiF4 and Yomitanzan, whereas in Badila leaves SPS activity significantly decreased. There was no significant change in cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase activity for the three cultivars at the chilling temperature. This supports the hypothesis that: (1) on exposure to chilling temperature, sucrose content in sugarcane leaves is determined by the photosynthetic rate in the leaves, and is not related to SPS activity; (2) SPS activity in sugarcane leaves at chilling temperature is to be determined by sugar concentration in the leaves.     

干旱胁迫下紫花苜蓿幼苗非结构性碳水化合物代谢对NO的响应

以紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa）为材料,采用盆栽试验方法,用聚乙二醇（PEG-6000）作为渗透介质模拟干旱胁迫,外源喷施NO供体硝普钠,NO清除剂（carboxy-PTIO,cPTIO）,对紫花苜蓿幼苗叶片、根系中非结构性碳水化合物含量及相关酶活性的变化进行研究,探讨NO对紫花苜蓿耐旱机制的作用。结果表明：外源NO促进了紫花苜蓿叶片中淀粉的分解、根系中淀粉的积累,提高叶片及根系中可溶性糖（蔗糖、果糖和葡萄糖）含量,降低了渗透势,促进细胞吸水,缓解干旱造成的损伤。此外,外源NO能提高干旱胁迫下紫花苜蓿叶片中蔗糖合成酶（SS）、酸性转化酶（AI）和中性转化酶（NI）活性,降低了蔗糖磷酸合成酶（SPS）的活性,提高根系中SS、SPS和转化酶活性,使蔗糖的合成与分解处于高水平的动态平衡,增强了紫花苜蓿的抗旱性。而NO清除剂cPTIO则会不同程度的抑制紫花苜蓿幼苗中非结构性碳水化合物（NSC）及其相关酶活性。因此,NO可以通过调控NSC的代谢响应干旱胁迫,缓解干旱胁迫造成的不利影响,在紫花苜蓿的抗旱中扮演着重要的角色。     

Effect of Kinetin on Starch and Sucrose Metabolising Enzymes in Salt Stressed Chickpea Seedlings

Higher amylase activity in cotyledons of kinetin treated salt stressed (75 mM NaCl) chickpea (Cicer arietinum L. cv. PBG-1) seedlings, as compared to salt stressed seedlings was observed during a growth period of 7 d. The activities of acid and alkaline invertases were maximum in shoots and minimum in cotyledons under all conditions. The reduced shoot invertase activities under salt stress were enhanced by kinetin with a simultaneous increase in reducing sugar content. Kinetin increased the activities of sucrose synthase (SS) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) in both the cotyledons and shoots of stressed seedlings. Kinetin appears to increase the turnover of sucrose in the shoots of stressed seedlings.     

Mild Water Stress of Phaseolus vulgaris Plants Leads to Reduced Starch Synthesis and Extractable Sucrose Phosphate Synthase Activity

Mild water stress, on the order of −1.0 megapascals xylem water potential, can reduce the rate of photosynthesis and eliminate the inhibition of photosynthesis caused by O₂ in water-stress-sensitive plants such as Phaseolus vulgaris. To investigate the lack of O₂ inhibition of photosynthesis, we measured stromal and cytosolic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, sucrose phosphate synthase, and partitioning of newly fixed carbon between starch and sucrose before, during, and after mild water stress. The extractable activity of the fructose bisphosphatases was unaffected by mild water stress. The extractable activity of SPS was inhibited by more than 60% in plants stressed to water potentials of −0.9 megapascals. Water stress caused a decline in the starch/sucrose partitioning ratio indicating that starch synthesis was inhibited more than sucrose synthesis. We conclude that the reduced rate of photosynthesis during water stress is caused by stomatal closure, and that the restriction of CO₂ supply caused by stomatal closure leads to a reduction in the capacity for both starch and sucrose synthesis. This causes the reduced O₂ inhibition and abrupt CO₂ saturation of photosynthesis.     

Elevated sucrose-phosphate synthase activity in transgenic tobacco sustains photosynthesis in older leaves and alters development

Constitutive over-expression of a maize sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) gene in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) had major effects on leaf carbohydrate budgets with consequences for whole plant development. Transgenic tobacco plants flowered earlier and had greater flower numbers than wild-type plants. These changes were not linked to modified source leaf carbon assimilation or carbon export, although sucrose to starch ratios were significantly higher in leaves expressing the transgene. The youngest and oldest leaves of plants over-expressing SPS had up to 10-fold wild-type maximal extractable SPS activity, but source leaf SPS activities were only 2-3 times greater in these lines than in the wild type. In the oldest leaves, where the expression of the transgene led to the most marked enhancement in SPS activity, photosynthesis was also increased. It was concluded that these increases in the capacity for sucrose synthesis and carbon assimilation, particularly in older leaves, accelerate the whole plant development and increase the abundance of flowers without substantial changes in the overall shoot biomass.