植物胚乳发育过程中的细胞化是植物种子发育中的重要事件，它使胚乳从游离核状态转变成具有细胞壁的完整细胞，为胚胎（拟南芥）或幼苗（水稻）发育提供能量和营养物质。目前，关于水稻胚乳细胞化的研究仍属空白，关于拟南芥胚乳细胞化的调控机制知之甚少；开展胚乳细胞化研究有助于理解合胞体游离核增殖、胞质分裂及细胞壁形成的调控机制，并提高对种子形成规律的认识。本研究计划采用高通量测序及基因编辑技术，筛选水稻和拟南芥胚乳细胞化中发挥功能的重要基因，结合本课题组已有的拟南芥胚乳发育缺陷突变体，通过多种技术手段研究胚乳细胞化相关基因ECD的表达模式、编码蛋白的亚细胞定位、突变体的表型特征、蛋白的生理生化特性、以及与其他关键蛋白之间的互作关系，揭示其在胚乳细胞化过程中游离核增殖、胞质分裂和细胞壁形成的调控机制，探索其在种子发育中的重要作用。本项目关于水稻和拟南芥胚乳细胞化的分子机理研究具有重要理论意义和潜在应用价值。

Endosperm cellularization is an important event in plant seed development, it transforms the endosperm from free nuclear to integrated cells with cell wall, which provide energy and nutrients for embryos (Arabidopsis) or seedlings (rice) development. At present, the research on the rice endosperm cellularization is still blank, and little is known about the regulatory mechanism of Arabidopsis endosperm cellularization. The study on endosperm cellularization is helpful to understand the molecular mechanism of free nuclear proliferation, cytokinesis and cell wall formation, and also to improve our knowledge about seed development rules. This research project adopts high-throughput sequencing and gene editing techniques to screen the important genes functioning in endosperm cellularization of rice and Arabidopsis, combined with our mutants in Arabidopsis endosperm development, multiple techniques of genetics, cell biology, molecular biology and biochemistry will be utilized to investigate the biological function of ECD (Endosperm Cellularization Defective) genes, including gene expression pattern, protein subcellular localization, mutant defective characteristics, protein physiological-biochemical characteristic, and the relationship with other key regulatory proteins. Our research will reveal the regulatory mechanism of free nuclear proliferation, cytokinesis and cell wall formation in the process of endosperm cellularization, and explore its important role in seed development. The research on molecular mechanism of endosperm cellularization in rice and Arabidopsis has important theoretical significance and potential application value.