title: Rules and Self-Organizing Properties of Post-embryonic Plant Organ Cell Division Patterns.
abstract: Plants form new organs with patterned tissue organization throughout their lifespan. It is unknown whether this robust post-embryonic organ formation results from stereotypic dynamic processes, in which the arrangement of cells follows rigid rules. Here, we combine modeling with empirical observations of whole-organ development to identify the principles governing lateral root formation in Arabidopsis. Lateral roots derive from a small pool of founder cells in which some take a dominant role as seen by lineage tracing. The first division of the founders is asymmetric, tightly regulated, and determines the formation of a layered structure. Whereas the pattern of subsequent cell divisions is not stereotypic between different samples, it is characterized by a regular switch in division plane orientation. This switch is also necessary for the appearance of patterned layers as a result of the apical growth of the primordium. Our data suggest that lateral root morphogenesis is based on a limited set of rules. They determine cell growth and division orientation. The organ-level coupling of the cell behavior ensures the emergence of the lateral root's characteristic features. We propose that self-organizing, non-deterministic modes of development account for the robustness of plant organ morphogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: von Wangenheim
authors.affiliation: Center for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fangerau
authors.affiliation: Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Development and Genetics, Max Planck Institute of Plant Breeding Research, 50829 Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leitte
authors.affiliation: Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Electronic address: ernst.stelzer@physikalischebiologie.de.
authors.forename: Ernst H K
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Stelzer
authors.affiliation: Center for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: alexis.maizel@cos.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maizel
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000254:growth & development*; D002455:Cell Division; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development*