NEC1 — Solanum tuberosum

Summary

PGSC0003DMG400011354, designated NEC1 on potato chromosome 9, encodes a SWEET family protein with fructose uniporter, gibberellin transmembrane transporter, and sugar transmembrane transporter activities. This gene is associated with carbohydrate export and transport, including fructose export from vacuole to cytoplasm, as well as gibberellic acid transmembrane transport, seed growth and maturation, anther dehiscence, and responses to fructose, glucose, and sucrose. NEC1 is linked to respiration rate, pollen germination and viability, pathogen resistance and susceptibility, nematode resistance, late blight resistance, sugar and sucrose transport, phloem loading, seed filling, carbon allocation, nectar secretion, vacuolar sugar transport, root growth, and germination. The protein localizes to the plasma membrane, tonoplast, endoplasmic reticulum, trans-Golgi network, and vesicle membranes. Studies of related SWEET family members in other species link this gene family to traits including seed weight, fruit size, starch content, cold tolerance, and disease tolerance.