title: Analysis of cell division patterns in the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem.
abstract: The stereotypic pattern of cell shapes in the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem (SAM) suggests that strict rules govern the placement of new walls during cell division. When a cell in the SAM divides, a new wall is built that connects existing walls and divides the cytoplasm of the daughter cells. Because features that are determined by the placement of new walls such as cell size, shape, and number of neighbors are highly regular, rules must exist for maintaining such order. Here we present a quantitative model of these rules that incorporates different observed features of cell division. Each feature is incorporated into a "potential function" that contributes a single term to a total analog of potential energy. New cell walls are predicted to occur at locations where the potential function is minimized. Quantitative terms that represent the well-known historical rules of plant cell division, such as those given by Hofmeister, Errera, and Sachs are developed and evaluated against observed cell divisions in the epidermal layer (L1) of Arabidopsis thaliana SAM. The method is general enough to allow additional terms for nongeometric properties such as internal concentration gradients and mechanical tensile forces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, California State University, Northridge, CA 91330; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and.
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and.
authors.forename: Cory
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tobin
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mjolsness
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125; and meyerow@caltech.edu.
authors.forename: Elliot M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Meyerowitz
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division; D019070:Cell Lineage; D048429:Cell Size; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D003198:Computer Simulation; D018519:Meristem / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008954:Models, Biological; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging
keywords: Arabidopsis; cell division; computer modeling; live imaging
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Apr 12;108(15):6294-9
references.pmid: 21383128
references.citation: Am J Bot. 2004 Sep;91(9):1277-93
references.pmid: 21652360
references.citation: Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2001 Jan;2(1):33-9
references.pmid: 11413463
references.citation: Dev Biol. 1997 Jan 15;181(2):246-56
references.pmid: 9013934
references.citation: Nat Methods. 2010 Jul;7(7):547-53
references.pmid: 20543845
references.citation: Science. 2012 Mar 2;335(6072):1096-9
references.pmid: 22383847
references.citation: Front Plant Sci. 2012 Aug 09;3:174
references.pmid: 22908023
references.citation: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2002 Jun 29;357(1422):737-47
references.pmid: 12079669
references.citation: PLoS One. 2010;5(7):e11750
references.pmid: 20689588
references.citation: Science. 2005 Oct 28;310(5748):663-7
references.pmid: 16210497
references.citation: Biotechniques. 2007 Jul;43(1 Suppl):25-30
references.pmid: 17936939
references.citation: J Cell Biol. 1990 Apr;110(4):1111-22
references.pmid: 2324196
references.citation: Plant Cell. 1992 Sep;4(9):1017-1027
references.pmid: 12297666