ABSTRACT
Trehalose biosynthesis in living organisms takes places by several known pathways. However, the type of pathway depends on the type of stress affecting the organism. Multifarious functions of trehalose have been found but they are species-specific. For example, in microorganisms during germination of spores, it acts as an energy source. Accumulation of trehalose is well studied in fungi. In fungi, the accumulation of trehalose under unfavorable conditions occurs especially at vegetative and reproductive stages compared with other growth stages. Huge work has been reported about the role of trehalose in desiccation tolerance of bacterial species. The knowledge of individual trehalose biosynthesis genes will provide help, not only in understanding the precise role of trehalose in not just abiotic stress but also the signaling mechanism. So more investigation is needed to understand the complex mechanism of trehalose metabolism so that stress-tolerant plants that are better equipped to face environmental adversity may be developed.
