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"Big it up": endoreduplication and cell-size control in plants
Keiko Sugimoto-Shirasu1, Keith Roberts
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK. keiko.sugimoto@bbsrc.ac.uk
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|November 13, 2003
Summary
Endoreduplication, replicating DNA without cell division, leads to larger plant cells. Research is uncovering the molecular regulation of this process and its role in controlling cell size.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Cell biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Endoreduplication involves DNA replication without cell division, resulting in polyploid nuclei.
- Increased cell and nuclear size are observed in endoreduplicating cells, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular regulation of endoreduplication in plants.
- To understand how endoreduplication contributes to cell-size control.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mutants and transgenic plants.
- Characterization of cell cycle regulation.
- Investigation of cell growth and expansion mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Advances in characterizing mutants and transgenic plants are revealing regulatory pathways.
- Both cell growth (cytoplasmic mass increase) and cell expansion (vacuole-mediated volume increase) contribute to cell size.
- An organ-size checkpoint may coordinate cell size and number.
Conclusions:
- The molecular basis linking endoreduplication to cell size is being elucidated.
- Endoreduplication is a key process in plant cell size determination.
- Cellular and organ-level mechanisms regulate plant size.