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Published on: May 11, 2019
Reaction-diffusion pattern in shoot apical meristem of plants
Hironori Fujita1, Koichi Toyokura, Kiyotaka Okada
1Division of Symbiotic Systems, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institute for Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan. hfujita@nibb.ac.jp
Plos One
|April 12, 2011
Summary
Plant development relies on spatial self-organization. This study demonstrates that a reaction-diffusion model explains shoot apical meristem (SAM) formation and maintenance, driven by WUS-CLV interactions, revealing reaction-diffusion
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Mathematical Biology
- Plant Science
Background:
- The self-organization of spatial patterns from homogeneous structures is a fundamental question in developmental biology.
- Turing's reaction-diffusion model (1952) proposed a mechanism for pattern formation, with early experimental support from fish pigmentation patterns.
- The role of reaction-diffusion mechanisms in essential developmental events in organisms remained largely unelucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the applicability of reaction-diffusion dynamics to plant shoot apical meristem (SAM) development.
- To model the WUS-CLV feedback loop using reaction-diffusion principles to explain SAM formation and maintenance.
- To validate the model against experimental observations in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical reaction-diffusion model for SAM dynamics.
- Incorporation of cell division and spatial restrictions into the model.
- Comparison of model predictions with experimental data from wild-type and mutant plants (clv, wus) and experimental manipulations (CZ ablation, meristem incision).
Main Results:
- The model successfully explains homeostatic control of SAM size in wild-type plants.
- It accurately predicts enlarged or fasciated SAM phenotypes observed in clv mutants.
- The model accounts for the initiation of ectopic secondary meristems in wus mutants and reorganization processes after experimental interventions.
Conclusions:
- Reaction-diffusion dynamics provide a robust framework for understanding plant SAM development.
- The WUS-CLV feedback interaction, modeled via reaction-diffusion, is crucial for SAM formation, maintenance, and organogenesis.
- This mechanism is likely indispensable for shoot apical meristem development in plants.
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