Expression of sucrose transporter (ShSUT1) in a Hawaiian sugarcane cultivar infected with Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV)

A sugarcane disease was detected in Hawaii in the 1990s, which is caused by the phloem-located Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV). The sucrose transporter was isolated from a Hawaiian cultivar and its distribution in the plant was determined. The transporter belongs to the SUT1 group. It is expressed in leaves and stem internodes, in the latter the transcript levels increase during maturation and sucrose storage. No significant differences of transcript levels were found between SCYLV-infected and virus-free sugarcane. Therefore the previously reported reduction of assimilate export in SCYLV-infected plants cannot be attributed to a reduction of sucrose transporter expression. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.