The cell wall controls stem cell fate
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants are immobile and their cells are contained within cell walls, yet they demonstrate vast post-embryonic developmental plasticity. Evidence shows that the fate of the cell is likely determined by its location within the plant, but the specific mechanisms and pathways involved are currently unknown.…
APETALA2 coordinates shoot apical meristem shape and identity during floral transition
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe study by Bertran Garcia de Olalla et al. investigated the role of the APETALA2 (AP2) transcription factor in Arabidopsis, particularly its influence on the shoot apical meristem (SAM) during the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. AP2 is essential for the rapid increase in SAM height…
Water fluxes contribute to growth patterning in shoot meristems
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe shoot apical meristem (SAM) is a wonderous thing. How this tiny clump of cells generates the entire above-ground organ system regularly, predictably, and dynamically is a question that has been investigated for decades, with models incorporating cascades regulatory genes, diffusible peptides, hormone…
Cytokinin–CLAVATA cross-talk is an ancient mechanism regulating shoot meristem homeostasis in land plants (PNAS)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe shoot apical meristem (SAM) maintains a small pool of pluripotent stem cells, which are the source of all above-ground plant tissues. In Arabidopsis thaliana, CLAVATA3 (CLV3), CLAVATA1(CLV1) and RECEPTOR-LIKE PROTEIN KINASE2 (RPK2) repress WUSCHEL (WUS) expression. WUS induces CLV3, forming a local…
The straw that breaks the camel's back
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWang et al. investigate the downstream effectors of CLE peptide ligand-mediated meristem homeostasis. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab315
By Wenping Wang, Chong Hu, Xiaoping Gou and Jing Yi
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences,…