Figure 6.

Proposed model of the role of trehalose in abscisic acid (ABA)‐controlled root growth and stomatal responses

In the presence of ABA, ABA RESPONSE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR2 (ABF2) enhances TPPE expression by directly binding to its promoter. The trehalose content increases due to enhanced TPPE expression. Trehalose triggers reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in roots and stomata, which enhances the effect of ABA on inhibiting root growth and promoting stomatal closure, allowing the plant to respond rapidly to stress conditions. In addition, trehalose acts upstream of transcription factors to regulate stress‐responsive gene expression (Shi et al. 2019).