Recently, a research team led by Professor Zhang Dabing and Professor Liang Wanqi from the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in collaboration with Professor Staffan Persson's team from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Professor Malcolm J. Bennett's team from the University of Nottingham in the UK, published a groundbreaking study titled "Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction" in the international academic journal Nature. This study is the first to uncover how plant root systems utilize engineering principles to adapt to compacted soil: by actively responding to accumulated ethylene and precisely regulating cell wall thickness, roots are promoted to thicken, thereby enhancing their penetration ability to cope with soil compaction.

（The regulatory mechanism of rice roots in adapting to compacted soil）

The co-corresponding authors of this study are Professor Liang Wanqi from the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Researcher Bipin K. Pandey from the University of Nottingham in the UK, and Professor Staffan Persson from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, who is also a visiting distinguished professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Dr. Zhang Jiao, a postdoctoral researcher supervised by Professors Liang Wanqi and Zhang Dabing at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, served as the first author of the paper.

Professor Lü Hui and his doctoral student Li Minhao from the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Professor Nobutaka Mitsuda and Dr. Shingo Sakamoto from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, Professor Malcolm J. Bennett and Professor Osvaldo Chara from the University of Nottingham in the UK, Dr. Zhu Mingyuan, a postdoctoral researcher supervised by Professor Philip Benfey from Duke University, as well as teachers Liu Zengyu, Qu Zhuo, Xue Feiyang, Shi Jin, Li Jingbin, Shan Qiji, and Yu Ya from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, all provided significant assistance in this work.

Special thanks are extended to Professor Zhang Dabing for his meticulous guidance throughout the planning, advancement, and completion of this project.

Paper Link：

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09765-7