Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 6, 2026

Sucrose synthase

Sucrose synthase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

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Aug 6, 2026
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Ribbon diagram of sucrose synthase-1 3S27.
Ribbon diagram of sucrose synthase-1 3S27 structure, isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana.1 source ↗
Sucrose synthase
Identifiers
EC no.2.4.1.13
CAS no.9030-05-1
Databases
BRENDAenzyme data
ExPASyNiceZyme view
KEGGenzyme entry
MetaCycmetabolic pathway
Rheareactions
PDB structuresRCSB PDB PDBe PDBsum
Gene OntologyAmiGO / QuickGO
Search
PMCarticles
PubMedarticles
NCBIproteins
Sucrose synthase
Identifiers
SymbolSucrose_synth
PfamPF00862
InterProIPR000368
Available protein structures:
PDB  IPR000368 PF00862 (ECOD; PDBsum)  
AlphaFold

Sucrose synthase (EC 2.4.1.13) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

NDP-glucose +
 
2D representation of the chemical structure of fructose .
fructose
 
 
 
Rightward reaction arrow
 
 
 
NDP +
 
2D representation of the chemical structure of sucrose.
sucrose


The two substrates of this enzyme are NDP-glucose and D-fructose. Its products are nucleoside diphosphate (NDP) and sucrose. It has been characterised from many plants, including beet,23 rice,4 mung bean,56 broad bean,7 and Japanese pear.8 The related enzyme from the cyanobacteria genus Anabaena has different substrate affinity owing to its N-terminal sequence.9

This enzyme belongs to the family of glycosyltransferases, specifically the hexosyltransferases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is NDP-glucose:D-fructose 2-alpha-D-glucosyltransferase. Other names in common use include UDPglucose-fructose glucosyltransferase, sucrose synthetase, sucrose-UDP glucosyltransferase, sucrose-uridine diphosphate glucosyltransferase, and uridine diphosphoglucose-fructose glucosyltransferase.10 This enzyme participates in starch and sucrose metabolism.11

References

References

  1. Zheng, Yi; Spencer, A.; Zhang, Y.; Garavito, R.M. (24 August 2011). "The Structure of Sucrose Synthase-1 from Arabidopsis thaliana and its Functional Implications". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 286 (41): 36108–36118. doi:10.1074/jbc.M111.275974. PMC 3195635. PMID 21865170.; rendered with PyMOL
  2. Avigad G; Milner Y (1966). "UDP-glucose: Fructose transglucosylase from sugar beet roots". UDP-glucose:fructose transglucosylase from sugar beet roots. Methods Enzymol. Vol. 8. pp. 341–345. doi:10.1016/0076-6879(66)08063-7. ISBN 978-0-12-181808-1.
  3. Silvius JE; Snyder FW (1979). "Comparative enzymic studies of sucrose metabolism in the taproots and fibrous roots of Beta vulgaris L". Plant Physiol. 64 (6): 1070–1073. doi:10.1104/pp.64.6.1070. PMC 543193. PMID 16661094.
  4. Murata T, Sugiyama T, Minamikawa T, Akazawa T (1966). "Enzymic mechanism of starch synthesis in ripening rice grains. 3 Mechanism of the sucrose-starch conversion". Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 113 (1): 34–44. doi:10.1016/0003-9861(66)90153-6. PMID 5941994.
  5. Delmer DP (1972). "The purification and properties of sucrose synthetase from etiolated Phaseolus aureus seedlings". J. Biol. Chem. 247 (12): 3822–8. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)45108-9. PMID 4624446.
  6. Yoshinaga F, Mori H, Sakai F, Hayashi T (1998). "An increase in apparent affinity for sucrose of mung bean sucrose synthase is caused by in vitro phosphorylation or directed mutagenesis of Ser11". Plant Cell Physiol. 39 (12): 1337–41. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.pcp.a029339. PMID 10050318.
  7. Ross, HA, Davies HV (1992). "Purification and characterization of sucrose synthase from the cotyledons of Vicia fava L". Plant Physiol. 100 (2): 1008–1013. doi:10.1104/pp.100.2.1008. PMC 1075657. PMID 16653008.
  8. Tanase K, Yamaki S (2000). "Purification and characterization of two sucrose synthase isoforms from Japanese pear fruit". Plant Cell Physiol. 41 (4): 408–14. doi:10.1093/pcp/41.4.408. PMID 10845453.
  9. Porchia AC, Curatti L, Salerno GL (1999). "Sucrose metabolism in cyanobacteria: sucrose synthase from Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7119 is remarkably different from the plant enzymes with respect to substrate affinity and amino-terminal sequence". Planta. 210 (1): 34–40. Bibcode:1999Plant.210...34P. doi:10.1007/s004250050651. PMID 10592030.
  10. Enzyme 2.4.1.13 at KEGG Pathway Database.
  11. T, Pozueta-Romero J; Muñoz, FJ; Saikusa, T; Rodríguez-López, M; Akazawa, T; Pozueta-Romero, J (2003). "Sucrose synthase catalyzes the de novo production of ADPglucose linked to starch biosynthesis in heterotrophic tissues of plants". Plant Cell Physiol. 44 (5): 500–9. doi:10.1093/pcp/pcg062. PMID 12773636.