Raffinose induces autophagy to promote plant growth

Autophagy is a vital process in eukaryotes, maintaining cellular balance by degrading and recycling cellular components. Autophagy is triggered by various nutrient-deprivation conditions and both biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Autophagy-deficient mutants exhibit early senescence, reduced yield, and hyper-sensitivity to starvation and abiotic stress. Over-expressing autophagy-related genes in various plant species resulted in increased plant size, yield, and stress resistance. Yet, despite the considerable promise of autophagy modulation for improved plant performance, the molecular mechanisms governing its induction remain partially understood. In the current work, we identified raffinose, a sugar linked to plant stress responses, as a novel plant autophagy inducer. Raffinose treatment resulted in increased biomass and yield in an autophagy-dependent manner in several plant species. We also show that raffinose activates autophagy through the SnRK1 kinase complex, independent of TOR signaling Our findings highlight the potential of raffinose as a tool for enhancing crop resilience and productivity.