Regulation of protein degradation and protease expression by mannose in maize root tips. Pi sequestration by mannose may hinder the study of its signaling properties.

The effects of mannose (Man) and glucose (Glc) on central metabolism, proteolysis, and expression of the root starvation-induced protease (RSIP; F. James, R. Brouquisse, C. Suire, A. Pradet, P. Raymond [1996] Biochem J 320: 283-292) were investigated in maize (Zea mays L. cv DEA) root tips. Changes in metabolite concentrations (sugars, ester-phosphates, adenine nucleotides, and amino acids) were monitored using in vivo and in vitro (13)C- and (31)P-NMR spectroscopy, in parallel with the changes in respiration rates, protein contents, proteolytic activities, and RSIP amounts. The inhibition of proteolysis, the decrease in proteolytic activities, and the repression of RSIP expression triggered by Man, at concentrations usually used to study sugar signaling (2 and 10 mM), were found to be related to a drop of energy metabolism, primarily due to a Man-induced Pi sequestration. However, when supplied at low concentration (2 mM) and with the adequate phosphate concentration (30 mM), energy metabolism was restored and Man repressed proteolysis similarly to Glc, when provided at the same concentration. These results indicate that Man should be used with caution as a Glc analog to study signalization by sugars in plants because possible signaling effects may be hindered by Pi sequestration.