The Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEET) family of
transporters in plants is involved in various biological processes,
including plant responses to outside stimuli. The team of Lu Wang from the
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences aimed to study SWEET transporters
from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and their roles in abiotic stress
response.

Analysis of the nine CsSWEET genes expressed in tea leaves revealed that
eight of the nine CsSWEET genes responded to abiotic stress while only one,
CsSWEET3, responded to Colletotrichum camelliae infection. Further study of
another CsSWEET gene, CsSWEET16, revealed that the gene is expressed in the
vacuolar membrane and is involved in modifying cold tolerance in
Arabidopsis.

These findings demonstrate that CsSWEET genes play important roles in the
response to both biotic and abiotic stresses, specifically cold stress, in
tea plants.



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