Plant invertases: structure, function and regulation of a diverse enzyme family VASILEIOS FOTOPOULOS Group of Biotechnology of Pharmaceutical Plants, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aristotle University, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract Invertase is a key metabolic enzyme which hydrolyzes the disaccharide sucrose (the major type of sugar transported through the phloem of higher plants) to glucose and fructose. In higher plants, invertase exists in several isoforms with different biochemical properties and subcellular locations. The specific functions of the different invertase isoforms are not clear, but they appear to regulate the entry of sucrose into the different utilization pathways. Invertases, alone or in combination with plant hormones, are involved in regulating developmental processes, carbohydrate partitioning, as well as biotic and abiotic interactions. The current knowledge about this isoenzyme family, with special reference to recent key findings, is reviewed here.   < back .