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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Using High Resolution Computed Tomography to Visualize the Three Dimensional Structure and Function of Plant Vasculature
Published on: April 5, 2013
Phloem and xylem specification: pieces of the puzzle emerge
Annelie Carlsbecker1, Ykä Helariutta
1Institute of Biotechnology, Viikinkaari 4, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
The plant vascular system is composed of two tissue types, xylem and phloem, which originate from the vascular meristem, the procambium. Recently, several regulatory mechanisms that control the specification of these two tissue types have been uncovered. These include the asymmetric patterning of xylem and phloem in the vascular bundle by the class III HD-ZIP and KANADI genes, the tissue-type-specific control of vascular cell proliferation by brassinosteroids and class III HD-ZIP genes, the regulation of vascular tissue identity by the MYB-like transcription factor APL, and inductive signalling during xylem differentiation by xylogen. These findings define an emerging developmental framework for the control of vascular tissue specification.
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