Plants Reroute Sugars to Injured Tissues for Healing

Plants actively redirect sugars to damaged tissues to fuel regeneration, a new study reveals. This process helps plants heal from injuries. Researchers used a fluorescent sensor to track sugar movement in living plants. They found that wounds trigger a localized shift in energy transport.

Glucose concentrates around the injury site. These findings offer new insight into how plants coordinate repair and recovery. The study was published in *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* (PNAS).

When a plant is damaged, it must deliver energy to the wounded area. This energy rebuilds lost tissue. The study shows that injuries trigger a rapid rerouting of sugars. This directs energy toward damaged tissues where repair and regeneration occur.

Researchers observed glucose accumulating around wounds as regeneration progressed. They also identified several genes that help drive this process. This provides new insight into how plants recover from injury. The work was led by Ph.D. student Rotem Matosevich and Professor Idan Efroni of the Hebrew University.

Plants produce sugars through photosynthesis. These sugars fuel growth. Scientists knew sugars are essential for regeneration. However, how plants deliver them to injured tissues was unclear. Researchers studied root regeneration in *Arabidopsis thaliana*. This small flowering plant is used in biological research. They found that successful regeneration depends on sugars from photosynthesis. Limited sugar supplies slowed the repair process.

Different sugars behaved differently after injury. Regeneration depended on sucrose from photosynthetic tissues. However, glucose, not sucrose, built up near the wound. Injury quickly activates genes involved in sugar transport and metabolism. These genes redirect energy resources toward the damaged area. This is especially true when sugar is in short supply. This mechanism may operate across multiple forms of plant wound repair. The findings could help scientists understand how crops recover from physical damage and environmental stresses.