On November 17th, the research teams led by Professor Xu Tongda and Professor Yang Zhenbiao from the College of Future Technology and Haixia Institute of Science and Technology jointly published a paper titled “ABLs and TMKs are co-receptors for extracellular auxin” in Cell. This marks a new significant advancement for FAFU, following major breakthroughs in deciphering the auxin-TMK signaling pathway in Nature made by Professor Xu Tongda’s team in 2019 and Professor Yang Zhenbiao’s team in 2021.
Screen shot of the published paper
This research demonstrated how plant cells perceive extracellular auxin, elucidating the molecular mechanism of the plasma membrane co-receptor complex in transmitting auxin signals to regulate plant growth and development. It represents a significant discovery in the field of phytohormone signal transduction.
This groundbreaking finding holds enormous potential for applications in synthetic biology. Leveraging synthetic biology technology, we can engineer the regulatory network of plant auxin. By modulating the expression levels or structures of extracellular receptors, we can precisely regulate plant response to auxin, achieving higher yields and better quality. For instance, rice crops often experience lodging during cultivation due to external factors like weather, which significantly affect yields and even lead to crop failure. By attenuating the action of auxin, we can enhance rice’s resistance to lodging without compromising fertility. This research outcome will effectively enhance the stress resistance and adaptability of crops, providing sustainable solutions for agricultural production. This is poised to make a significant contribution globally to addressing food security issues. With scientists’ relentless efforts, a new era of crop revolution is on the horizon, offering humanity more abundant and sustainable food resources.
Model for the action of ABLs/ ABP1 and TMKs as co-receptors for apoplastic auxin
The co-first authors of this paper include Dr. Yu Yongqiang and Associate Professor Tang Wenxin from the Synthetic Biology Center at the College of Future Technology and Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, FAFU; Professor Lin Wenwei and Associate Professor Zhou Xiang from the Metabolomics Center, FAFU, and Dr. Li Wei, a research fellow from Nanjing Agricultural University. Professor Xu Tongda from the Synthetic Center and Professor Yang Zhenbiao from the Metabolomics Center at FAFU are the corresponding authors. Other contributing authors include Li Ying, a master student, Associate Professor Huang Rongfeng, Dr. Ma Jun, and Associate Professor Lin Juncheng from the Synthetic Center; Associate Research Fellow Chen Rong and Ph.D. student Zheng Rui from CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr. Patricio Pérez-Henríquez from the University of California, Riverside, Qiu Qizhi, a master student from the College of Plant Protection at FAFU, and Xu Ziwei and Zou Ailing, master students from the Metabolomics Center. This research was mainly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, startup funds from both FAFU and PSC (Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences), and in part supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a grant from the US National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
Correspondant/Photogragher: College of Future Technology and Haixia Institute of Science and Technology
Translators: Chen Jun, International College
Xie Xinyi, International College
