The dynamic plant stem cell niches.
Stem cells exist in specific locations called niches, where extracellular signals maintain stem cell division and prevent differentiation. In plants, the best characterised niches are within the shoot and root meristems. Networks of regulatory genes and intercellular signals maintain meristem structure in spite of constant cell displacement by division. Recent works have improved our understanding of how these networks function at the cellular and molecular levels, particularly in the control of the stem cell population in the shoot meristem. The meristem regulatory genes have been found to function partly through localised control of widely used signals such as cytokinin and auxin. The retinoblastoma protein has also emerged as a key regulator of cell differentiation in the meristems.
Sablowski
Robert
R
Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom. robert.sablowski@bbsrc.ac.uk
D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D010940:Plant Proteins; D016160:Retinoblastoma Protein