毛竹在改善生态环境、繁荣山区经济和增加农民收入等方面起着十分重要的作用。在国家自然科学基金资助下，我们对毛竹茎秆叶绿体结构、光合特性以及竹鞭质体超微结构等方面开展了大量的研究工作，毛竹笋竹茎秆和竹鞭质体中具有丰富的淀粉粒；黄昏后笋竹茎秆内β-淀粉酶和脱支酶活性显著升高，并且有自噬体的形成。为了进一步研究笋竹茎秆和竹鞭质体内淀粉粒分解和自噬与笋竹秆形快速生长的关系，本项目从糖信号调控SnRK1/mTOR通路入手，寻找毛竹笋和成竹与笋竹秆形快速生长过程体内糖信号物质的差异，分别通过体内和体外试验研究糖信号物质对SnRK1/mTOR活性的调控关系；同时研究笋竹茎秆和竹鞭质体内源激素、淀粉分解酶和自噬体形成能力等指标，明确糖信号调控SnRK1/mTOR活性促进笋竹茎秆和竹鞭内淀粉粒分解对笋竹秆形快速生长的贡献。研究成果为进一步明确毛竹速生生长机制以及指导速生树木育种具有重要的意义。

Phyllostachys heterocycla plays a very important role in amelioration of the ecological environment, and in economic prosperity of the mountainous area, and income increase of the farmers. With the support of National Natural Science Foundation of China, we investigated the structure and photosynthetic characteristics of the chloroplasts in the culm and the ultrastructure of the plastids in the rhizome of P. heterocycla, and observed abundant starch grains in the chloroplasts of the culm and in the plastids of the rhizome. Further, we observed at dusk a notable increase in the activity of β-amylase and the debranching enzyme and the formation of autophagosomes in the culm. In this project, in order to further reveal the relationship between the rapid growth of culm and starch grain decomposition and autophagy in the culm and rhizome of P. heterocycla, we will compare the difference of sugar signal substances in culm and rhizome under different growth period of P. heterocycla, and studied the activity of SnRK1/mTOR regulated by sugar signals through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Measurements of endogenous hormones, amylase activity, and the autophagosome-forming capacity verified the contribution of starch grain decomposition in the culm and rhizome to the rapid growth of culm via regulation of the activity of SnRK1/mTOR by sugar signals. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of rapid growth of P. heterocycla and the breeding of fast-growing trees.