Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction
Soil stresses affect crop yields and present global agricultural challenges<sup>1</sup>. Soil compaction triggers reduction in root length and radial expansion driven by the plant hormone ethylene<sup>2</sup>. Here we report how ethylene controls cell wall biosynthesis to promote root radial expansion. We demonstrate how soil compaction stress, via ethylene, upregulates Auxin Response Factor1 in the root cortex, which represses cellulose synthase (CESA) genes. CESA repression drives radial expansion of root cortical cells by modifying the thickness of their cell walls, which results in a thicker epidermis and thinner cortex. Our research links ethylene signalling with root cell wall remodelling, and reveals how dynamic regulation of cellulose synthesis controls root growth in compacted soil.
Authors
- Mingyuan Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1237-2760)
- Staffan Persson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6377-5132)
- Xiaobo Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7529-024X)
- Augusto Borges (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0773-5352)
- Shi Jin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2337-201X)
- Minhao Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9361-3889)
- Shingo Sakamoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6019-1732)
- Nobutaka Mitsuda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5689-3678)
- Osvaldo Chara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0868-2507)
- Zhuo Qu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5805-6101)
- Bipin K. Pandey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9614-1347)
- Qiji Shan
- Zengyu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8784-2045)
- Wanqi Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9938-5793)
- Jiao Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9106-2156)
- Ya Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7632-5869)
- Hui Juan Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8347-0830)
- Malcolm J. Bennett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0475-390X)
- Dabing Zhang
- Jingbin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3448-2039)
- Feiyang Xue (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8427-1195)
- Edward Farrar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2315-5274)
- Lucas Peralta Ogorek
Institutions
- Shanghai International Studies University (CN)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (US)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Duke University (US)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- Bay Institute (US)
- Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (AR)
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (JP)
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature
- Published
- 2025-11-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09765-7
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.25