Improving plant reproductive success under heat stress: A sweet approach

本研究以番茄为模型，研究细胞壁转化酶(CWIN)活性的遗传调控在高温胁迫下对花粉萌发、伸长和座果的调控作用。植物的生殖过程对热胁迫非常敏感，这往往会导致授粉失败和果实和种子败育，从而造成不可逆转的产量损失。研究表明，CWIN介导的糖代谢和信号转导可能在高温胁迫下的花粉生长和座果过程中发挥关键作用。预期的结果是产生关键知识，这些知识将促进对热应激下生殖发育的理解，从而提供重大好处，如提高作物产量的新想法和解决方案。

This project aims to determine how genetic manipulation of cell wall invertase (CWIN) activity could regulate pollen germination, elongation and fruit set under heat stress using tomato as a model. Plant reproductive processes are highly susceptible to heat stress, which often leads to pollination failure and fruit and seed abortion, hence irreversible yield loss. Research has established that CWIN-mediated sugar metabolism and signaling may play crucial roles in pollen growth and fruit set under heat stress. The intended outcome is the generation of critical knowledge that will advance understanding on reproductive development under heat stress, thereby providing significant benefits, such as novel ideas and solutions for improving crop yield.