title: Molecular control of stem cell maintenance in shoot apical meristem.
abstract: Sustained post-embryonic organ initiation and development in plants depends on coordinating the formation and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells in apical meristems. Transcriptional regulation and intercellular signalling appear to play key roles in this coordination process. Here we discuss the current knowledge about the molecular regulation of stem cell maintenance in the shoot apical meristem and recent attempts to delineate the molecular signatures of "stemness" in flowering plants. We also outline contemporary molecular approaches for deciphering the process of stem cell renewal in the shoot apical meristem.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia. premlb@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Prem L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Bhalla
authors.forename: Mohan B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D059828:Plant Cells; D063245:Plant Development; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*