Unlocking bamboo's fast growth: Exploring the vital role of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs)

Bamboo is known for its fast growth, and non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) play a pivotal role in bamboo's fast growth. Despite extensive research on bamboo's growth, the role of NSCs, especially the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms, in bamboo's fast growth remains largely unexplored. By studying growth patterns in various bamboo species, it was found that NSCs are transferred from mature bamboo to young shoots, facilitating their fast growth. This review explores NSCs in bamboo, covering their content, distribution, storage, and enzyme activities. It examines NSCs' physiological roles, including mobilization, transport, and growth facilitation, and discusses potential molecular regulatory mechanisms. It also summarizes the gene expression patterns involved in NSC synthesis and metabolism during bamboo's fast growth. NSCs regulate genes related to sugar transport, cell division, energy metabolism, and cell wall synthesis, thereby regulating bamboo's fast growth. NSCs interact with hormone signaling networks. Lastly, winter drought and cold stress stimulate NSC storage and transport. These stressors potentially serve as signals or prerequisites for NSC transport and accumulation. In general, this review summarizes the research progress on NSC transport from bamboo and its impact on bamboo's fast growth, providing a foundation for enhancing understanding and investigation of bamboo's fast growth mechanisms. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.