742 / 2019-05-15 02:32:25

How to make stem cells during plant embryogenesis?

shoot meristem, stem cells

Growth and Development > Growth and Development

A historical view on stem cells in the plant meristems is that they represent cells trapped in an embryonic state, thus also called "embryonic initials". Nevertheless, setting up a meristem that provides the necessary micro-environment to perpetuate stem cells throughout the plant's lifetime is an elaborate yet little understood process. Here we will discuss how interplay between transcription factors and plant hormones sets the stage for the stem cells in the emerging Arabidopsis shoot meristem. We will also address how cell-to-cell signaling and epigenetic priming might play a role in this process.