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Trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P) signaling plays a central role in plant development, acting through TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE (TPS) and PHOSPHATASE (TPP) enzymes. In maize, the TPP-encoding gene RAMOSA3 (RA3) controls inflorescence branching and interacts physically with non-catalytic ZmTPS1, which stimulates the activity of a tripartite TPP-TPS complex, involving non catalytic TPSs and linking Tre6P metabolism to developmental regulation. In Arabidopsis, ten TPP genes act redundantly to regulate shoot architecture, sugar metabolism, iron homeostasis, and photosynthesis, with loss of all ten elevating Tre6P levels and disrupting development. Complementing these metabolic regulatory networks, the maize RNA-binding protein TERMINAL EAR1 (TE1) controls meristem development through
post-transcriptional regulation, binding hundreds of developmental mRNAs to modulate developmental timing and architecture and developmental responses to heat stress. Together, these studies illuminate interconnected metabolic and post-transcriptional mechanisms governing plant meristem function, with broad implications for crop improvement.
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