Mechanical control of morphogenesis at the shoot apex.
Morphogenesis does not just require the correct expression of patterning genes; these genes must induce the precise mechanical changes necessary to produce a new form. Mechanical characterization of plant growth is not new; however, in recent years, new technologies and interdisciplinary collaborations have made it feasible in young tissues such as the shoot apex. Analysis of tissues where active growth and developmental patterning are taking place has revealed biologically significant variability in mechanical properties and has even suggested that mechanical changes in the tissue can feed back to direct morphogenesis. Here, an overview is given of the current understanding of the mechanical dynamics and its influence on cellular and developmental processes in the shoot apex. We are only starting to uncover the mechanical basis of morphogenesis, and many exciting questions remain to be answered.
Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland.
Sarah
S
Robinson
Agata
A
Burian
Etienne
E
Couturier
Benoit
B
Landrein
Marion
M
Louveaux
Enrique D
ED
Neumann
Alexis
A
Peaucelle
Alain
A
Weber
Naomi
N
Nakayama
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002455:Cell Division; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D018519:Meristem / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D063245:Plant Development; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
Cell wall; growth; material properties; mechanical stress and strain; mechanics; morphogenesis; shoot apex.