Sugar toxicity
As sugars are needed for plant growth it is a surprise that some of them seem to be toxic for plants. Among them are the sugars Arabinose, Galactose and Mannose. This phenomenon is not restricted to plants but occurs in humans as well (compare galactose toxicity test for every newborn).
The mechanisms why sugars show toxic effects are poorly understood. By using a mixture of biochemical and molecular methods we dissect sugar toxicity pathways.