Plant meristems: a merry-go-round of signals.
Recent studies have provided significant new insights into the gene actions that specify and maintain stem cells in plant shoots and roots. New layers of genetic control and potential signalling pathways and effector mechanisms have emerged from these new studies and will be reviewed here. These new findings refine the current model in which stem cells in plant meristems are regulated by negative feedback loops and uncover a fundamental mechanism for stem cell maintenance that might be common to shoots and roots.
Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK. peter.doerner@ed.ac.uk
Peter
P
Doerner
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C092212:KNAT1 protein, Arabidopsis; C097496:STM protein, Arabidopsis; C116421:WUSCHEL protein, Arabidopsis