Lan Miao, Zhu Yimin, Peaucelle Alexis, Zhu Xianmiao, Liu Yangxuan, Cao Xuemin, Gurzadyan Aram, Gao Geshuang, Cai Wenjuan, Gruel Jérémy, Haas Kalina T, Jönsson Henrik, Hamant Olivier, Wightman Raymond, Meyerowitz Elliot, Yang Weibing
Key Laboratory of Plant Carbon Capture, CAS Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200032, Shanghai, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 6;16(1):7229. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62651-8.
New tissues and organs in plants develop from stem cells located in meristematic tissues. Cell wall-mediated mechanics has been proposed to play crucial roles in controlling stem cell activity. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis shoot apical meristems (SAMs) Cellulose Synthase Like-D5 (CSLD5)-mediated cell wall synthesis modulates tissue mechanics. The Myb-domain transcription factor MYB3R4 directly activates CSLD5 expression, leading to robust new cell wall synthesis in dividing cells. CSLD5 forms complexes with CESAs to guide cellulose-based wall construction. Disruption of CSLD5 results in reduced wall stiffness and altered expression of touch-responsive genes. Confining CSLD5 to L1 layer cells restores the mechanical properties and growth defects of csld5 SAMs, indicating molecular and cellular compensation across shoot meristem layers. We further demonstrate that epidermal expression of OsCSLD4 in rice enhances inflorescence meristem growth and seed production. Our results suggest a principle for breeding high yield crops through cell-type specific cell wall remodelling.
植物中的新组织和器官由位于分生组织中的干细胞发育而来。细胞壁介导的力学作用被认为在控制干细胞活性方面起着关键作用。在此，我们表明在拟南芥茎尖分生组织（SAMs）中，类纤维素合酶D5（CSLD5）介导的细胞壁合成调节组织力学。Myb结构域转录因子MYB3R4直接激活CSLD5的表达，导致分裂细胞中强大的新细胞壁合成。CSLD5与纤维素合酶（CESAs）形成复合物，以指导基于纤维素的细胞壁构建。CSLD5的破坏导致细胞壁刚度降低和触摸响应基因的表达改变。将CSLD5限制在L1层细胞中可恢复csld5 SAMs的力学性能和生长缺陷，表明整个茎尖分生组织层存在分子和细胞补偿。我们进一步证明，水稻中OsCSLD4的表皮表达可增强花序分生组织的生长和种子产量。我们的结果提出了一种通过细胞类型特异性细胞壁重塑培育高产作物的原则。
