Leaf growth in dicots and monocots: so different yet so alike
Hilde Nelissen1, Nathalie Gonzalez1, Dirk Inzé1
1Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Gent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, 9052 Gent, Belgium.
Plant leaf growth involves cell division and expansion, with conserved regulatory mechanisms between dicot and monocot species. This review details how temporal and spatial organization of these processes are coordinated during plant development.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Plant organ growth, including leaves, occurs post-embryonically via cell division and expansion.
- Growth regulation differs between dicots (temporal) and monocots (spatial).
- Understanding conserved mechanisms is key to plant development research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the temporal and spatial organization of cell division and expansion in dicot and monocot leaves.
- To highlight conserved molecular mechanisms coordinating these growth processes.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of plant leaf development studies.
- Comparative analysis of growth regulation in dicots and monocots.
Main Results:
- Dicot leaf growth is typically temporally regulated (division ceases apically, continues basally).
- Monocot leaf growth is spatially regulated (division at base, expansion follows).
- Despite differences, conserved molecular pathways coordinate cell division and expansion in both groups.
Conclusions:
- Leaf growth regulation shows both distinct and conserved features between dicots and monocots.
- Molecular wiring coordinating cell division and expansion is largely conserved during plant leaf development.
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