Abstract:

C/VIF（Cell wall/Vacuolar Inhibitor of β-Fructosidase）in higher plants is a small protein family（14-23 kD）with subcellular localizations to the apoplast or vacuoles,which post-translationally inhibits the hydrolytic activity of acid invertases. C/VIF can affect the seeds and fruits development and maturation through fine-tuning of the homeostasis of sucrose metabolism or cell osmotic pressure,and participate in the regulation of adapted abiotic stresses. It is also found to be involved in sugar immunization and defense response to pathogen infection. The gene expression and enzymatic activity of C/VIFs are subject to the transcriptional control by hormones（e.g.,ABA,Auxin,and CK）and environmental cues（e.g.,cold,drought,and wounding）. Here,the molecular and biochemical features,the profiling of spatiotemporal expression patterns,and novel findings of physiological significance and the underlying modulatory mechanisms of C/VIFs are reviewed. Given that the functional roles of C/VIFs remain to be unraveled in woods,this paper provides the basis and lays a theoretical foundation for the subsequent filling of these research gaps.

Key words: C/VIF, carbohydrate metabolism, sink and source, glycosylation, abiotic stress, pathogen