Lamin proteins in animals are implicated in important nuclear functions,including chromatin organization, signalling transduction, gene regulation andcell differentiation. Nuclear Matrix Constituent Proteins (NMCPs) are laminanalogues in plants, but their regulatory functions remain largely unknown. Wereport that OsNMCP1 is localized at the nuclear periphery in rice (Oryza sativa)and induced by drought stress. OsNMCP1 overexpression resulted in a deeper andthicker root system, and enhanced drought resistance compared to the wild-typecontrol. An assay for transposase accessible chromatin with sequencing(ATAC-seq) analysis revealed that OsNMCP1-overexpression altered chromatinaccessibility in hundreds of genes related to drought resistance and rootgrowth, including OsNAC10, OsERF48, OsSGL, SNAC1 and OsbZIP23. OsNMCP1 caninteract with SWITCH/SUCROSE NONFERMENTING (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodellingcomplex subunit聽OsSWI3C. The reported drought resistance or root growth-relatedgenes that were positively regulated by OsNMCP1 were negatively regulated byOsSWI3C under drought stress conditions, and OsSWI3C overexpression led todecreased drought resistance. We propose that the interaction between OsNMCP1and OsSWI3C under drought stress conditions may lead to the release of OsSWI3Cfrom the SWI/SNF gene silencing complex, thus changing chromatin accessibilityin the genes related to root growth and drought resistance.