NUT1-Exo70A1 Regulates Xylem Vessel Development and Influences Water Use Efficiency in Maize.
Zhu T, Wang Y, Wang Y, Wang C, Liu Y
Crop Improvement
Drought is one of the biggest threats to corn harvests worldwide, and this discovery points to a specific genetic lever that could help farmers grow more food with less water — keeping grocery prices stable and fields productive as climate extremes intensify.
Corn plants have tiny internal tubes that carry water from roots to leaves, and these tubes need strong, patterned walls to work properly under the suction pressure of a hot day. Researchers found a pair of proteins — think of them as a foreman and a construction worker — that build and organize those tube walls. When they boosted the 'construction worker' protein in corn, the plants transported water more efficiently and grew more grain, even when water was scarce.
Key Findings
A maize mutant called 'drought-sensitive 1' (ds1) had defective xylem tube walls and significantly reduced hydraulic conductivity, making it highly vulnerable to water stress.
The DS1 protein (Exo70A1) is directly regulated by a NAC transcription factor called NUT1, establishing a two-protein regulatory module that controls water-conducting tissue development.
Overexpressing Exo70A1 in maize increased hydraulic conductivity and boosted both biomass and grain yield under well-watered and drought conditions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists discovered a genetic switch in maize that controls how water moves through the plant's internal plumbing. By activating this switch, they grew corn that produces more grain even during droughts.
Abstract Preview
Efficient water uptake and transport through xylem vessels are essential for plant growth and development. The patterned secondary cell wall (SCW) structure of xylem vessels provides robust mechani...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...
Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...