导读：日本一项新研究发现，植物体内几种蛋白质的结合程度决定了植物的“身高”。这一发现有望帮助提高农作物生产率。
植物会为适应环境而控制自己的高度，此前研究已知，“ERECTA”蛋白质作为一种受体，与植物的高度有关，但其发挥作用的机制一直未能探明。
日本奈良尖端科学技术大学院大学研究人员在美国新一期《国家科学院学报》网络版上报告说，他们使用拟南芥，研究了在其茎部内皮细胞中产生的“EPFL4”和“EPFL6”这两种蛋白质，结果发现这两种蛋白质与“ERECTA”蛋白质结合后，拟南芥的“身高”会迅速增加，如果这两种蛋白质出现缺陷，拟南芥“个头”会明显偏矮。
生物体内存在决定其特性的“开关”，如同钥匙插入锁孔才能打开锁一般，细胞受体只有与配位体相配合才能发挥作用。研究人员发现这两种蛋白质就是与植物长高有关的配位体。研究人员说，通过阻碍或者促进这两种蛋白质发挥作用，有望开发出不通过转基因也可控制农作物高度的技术，从而提高其生产率。
Regulation of inflorescence architecture by intertissue layer ligand–receptor communication between endodermis and phloem
Naoyuki Uchida, Jin Suk Lee, Robin J. Horst, Hung-Hsueh Lai, Ryoko Kajita, Tatsuo Kakimoto, Masao Tasaka, and Keiko . Torii
Multicellular organisms achieve final body shape and size by coordinating cell proliferation, expansion, and differentiation. Loss of function in the Arabidopsis ERECTA (ER) receptor-kinase gene confers characteristic compact inflorescence architecture, but its underlying signaling pathways remain unknown. Here we report that the expression of ER in the phloem is sufficient to rescue compact er inflorescences. We further identified two EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR-LIKE (EPFL) secreted peptide genes, EPFL4 and EPFL6/CHALLAH (CHAL), as redundant, upstream components of ER-mediated inflorescence growth. The expression of EPFL4 or EPFL6 in the endodermis, a layer adjacent to phloem, is sufficient to rescue the er-like inflorescence of epfl4 epfl6 plants. EPFL4 and EPFL6 physically associate with ER in planta. Finally, transcriptome analysis of er and epfl4 epfl6 revealed a potential downstream component as well as a role for plant hormones in EPFL4/6- and ER-mediated inflorescence growth. Our results suggest that intercell layer communication between the endodermis and phloem mediated by peptide ligands and a receptor kinase coordinates proper inflorescence architecture in Arabidopsis.
文献链接：https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/03/30/1117537109.abstract
