管壁凹陷结构的形成维持木质部水力学和籽粒产量，这一成果由中国科学院遗传与发育生物学研究所张保才课题组经过不懈努力而取得。这一研究成果于2025年10月14日发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《细胞》上。

课题组人员揭示了果核的纳米三维结构，以及调控果核形成、维持木质部生长和籽粒产量的分子途径。一项水稻全基因组关联研究发现，一种控制稻谷几何形状的木聚糖去乙酰化酶是决定稻谷大小的数量性状（PS1）。一个优秀的PS1等位基因将木聚糖修饰为低乙酰化状态，促进它们与纤维素的结合并保持坑边界周围的壁一致性。优良的单倍型使水稻品种具有更高的氮转运能力和产量。如果他们发现了一种提高木质部水力学和作物产量的分子途径，为可持续农业提供了一种有前途的策略。

据了解，植物已经进化出了一个管道系统，具有加固的墙壁和创新的墙壁结构，以确保水和营养物质的有效运输。导管坑是导管壁上细小的三维空腔，是植物水力学和生长塑性的关键决定因素。然而，它们的超微结构和形成机制尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Shaping pit structure in vessel walls sustains xylem hydraulics and grain yield

Author: Lanjun Zhang, Yihong Gao, Zuopeng Xu, Jingyang Hu, Zhao Wen, Jiaxi Li, Chengxu Gao, Yihua Zhou, Baocai Zhang

Issue&Volume: 2025-10-14

Abstract: Plants have evolved a conduit system with reinforced walls and innovative wall structures that ensure efficient transport of water and nutrients. Vessel pits, fine three-dimensional (3D) cavities in conduit walls, are key determinants of plant hydraulics and growth plasticity. However, their ultrastructure and formation mechanisms are unknown. Here, we reveal the nanoscale 3D structure of pits and the molecular pathway that mediates pit shaping and sustains xylem robustness and grain yield. A quantitative trait locus for pit size (PS1), identified by a genome-wide association study in rice, is a xylan deacetylase that controls pit geometry. An elite PS1 allele modifies xylans to a hypoacetylated state, facilitating their binding to cellulose and maintaining wall coherence around pit boundaries. The elite haplotypes confer rice varieties with enhanced nitrogen transport and grain yield. We thus discover a molecular pathway that boosts xylem hydraulics and crop yield, offering a promising strategy for sustainable agriculture.

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.09.018

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)01086-4