Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
10:40
Single-Cell Resolution Three-Dimensional Imaging of Intact Organoids
Published on: June 5, 2020
17.3K
Plant stem-cell organization and differentiation at single-cell resolution.
James W Satterlee1, Josh Strable1, Michael J Scanlon2
1School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Summary
Maize shoot stem cells maintain genome integrity and divide slowly. Surprisingly, no canonical stem cell organizing center was found, but KNOTTED1 expression accelerated differentiation and leaf development.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Plants possess pluripotent stem cells in shoot apical meristems (SAMs) crucial for organogenesis.
- Understanding stem cell behavior in the SAM is key to plant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the transcriptional landscape of the maize shoot stem cell niche using single-cell RNA sequencing.
- To investigate stem cell function, differentiation, and the role of KNOTTED1 in maize shoot morphogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) for unbiased transcriptional profiling.
- Trajectory inference to analyze gene expression changes during cell differentiation.
Main Results:
- Maize SAM stem cells maintain genome integrity and exhibit low cell division rates.
- No evidence for a canonical stem cell organizing center was found.
- Ectopic KNOTTED1 expression accelerated cell differentiation and promoted leaf base development.
Conclusions:
- Single-cell transcriptomics provides insights into maize stem cell function and cell-fate acquisition.
- Findings offer a foundation for dissecting genetic control of plant shoot morphogenesis.
More Related Videos
08:07Stencil Micropatterning of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells for Probing Spatial Organization of Differentiation Fates
Published on: June 17, 2016
8.7K
11:38Author Spotlight: Enhancing PSC-to-Functional Cell Differentiation Using ML Models Based on Live-Cell Bright-Field Imaging
Published on: October 4, 2024
891
Related Concept Videos
01:30Animal and Plant Cell Structure
43.6K
Animal and plant cells not only differ in their structure, function, and mode of nutrition but also in how they reproduce, specialize, and organize into complex structures.
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during...
Cell Division
Though both plant and animal cells divide by mitosis (for non-gametic cells) and meiosis (for gametic cells), they differ in the specifics of this process. Unlike animal cells, plant cells lack centrosomes — an organelle responsible for organizing the spindle fibers and segregating the chromosomes during...
43.6K
01:10Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
6.1K
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
6.1K
00:57Cellular Differentiation
4.6K
How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
A zygote is a...
4.6K
01:17Stem Cell Culture
5.8K
Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...
5.8K
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
25.7K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
25.7K
01:33Adult Stem Cells
31.8K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
31.8K