The EXPEC-5210 LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry) system from EXPEC Technology, an FPI subsidiary, is a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer designed for both research and routine testing needs. With outstanding sensitivity, excellent stability, and a comprehensive method library, it is widely used in plant metabolomics, food safety, biopharmaceuticals, and other fields. It enables accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of trace metabolites in complex matrices, providing reliable technical support for cutting-edge basic research.
Recently, a team from the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, together with several partner institutions, published its latest research in the international plant science journal Molecular Plant: “Strigolactones restrict sugar acquisition in rice tiller buds to inhibit their outgrowth by suppressing the expression and polarized localization of two monosaccharide transporters.” The study reveals the core molecular mechanism by which strigolactones (SLs) suppress the expression and polarized localization of two monosaccharide transporters, thereby limiting sugar acquisition by rice tiller buds and inhibiting their outgrowth. The findings provide important theoretical support for research on high-yield rice breeding and plant architecture regulation. (Original article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2026.08.003)
Rice tillering is one of the key agronomic traits that shape plant architecture and yield formation. Strigolactones are key plant hormones that regulate tillering, but how they cooperate with sugar signaling has long been a research hotspot in the field.
The research team found that two monosaccharide transporters, OsMST3 and OsMST6, mediate the transport of glucose and fructose from leaf source tissues to tiller bud sink tissues, thereby promoting tiller growth. Strigolactones, in turn, suppress the expression of these transporters through the transcription factor OsTB1 and also counteract the sugar-induced polar localization of the proteins. This restricts sugar uptake by tiller buds at its source and inhibits their elongation, revealing a new hierarchical layer of hormone-sugar interaction.
(Figure: Proposed model of how strigolactones restrict sugar acquisition in rice tiller buds, as presented by the research team.
Source: Molecular Plant, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2026.08.003)
In this study, the EXPEC 5210 LC-MS/MS was used for the quantitative analysis of trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) in rice samples, providing reliable data support for the research team’s investigation of changes in sugar status during rice tillering and the relationship between strigolactones and sugar signaling.
(Screenshot: Excerpt from the paper.
Source: Molecular Plant, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2026.08.003)
Going forward, we will continue to follow the research needs of the plant science community and keep refining our mass spectrometry products and application solutions, to support researchers in metabolite analysis.
