Genetic and epigenetic control of transfer cell development in plants

The inter-cellular translocation of nutrients in plant is mediated by highly specialized transfer cells (TCs). TCs share similar functional and structural features across a wide range of plant species, including location at plant exchange surfaces, rich in secondary wall ingrowths, facilitation of nutrient flow, and passage of select molecules. The fate of endosperm TCs is determined in the TC fate acquisition stage (TCF), before the structure features are formed in the TC differentiation stage (TCD). At present, the molecular basis of TC development in plants remains largely unknown. In this review, we summarize the important roles of the signaling molecules in different development phases, such as sugars in TCF and phytohormones in TCD, and discuss the genetic and epigenetic factors, including TC-specific genes and endogenous plant peptides, and their crosstalk with these signaling molecules as a complex regulatory network in regulation of TC development in plants.