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Updated: Jul 29, 2025
07:52
Live Cell Imaging of Microtubule Cytoskeleton and Micromechanical Manipulation of the Arabidopsis Shoot Apical Meristem
Published on: May 23, 2020
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Cell signaling in the shoot apical meristem
Ying Wang1, Yuling Jiao2,3,4
1College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Plant Physiology
|May 24, 2023
Summary
Plants use shoot apical meristems (SAMs) for lifelong organ growth. Cell signaling, including the WUSCHEL-CLAVATA loop and auxin pathways, regulates SAM stem cell balance and organogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Plant developmental biology
- Meristematic tissue research
- Cell signaling in plants
Background:
- Plants, unlike animals, exhibit continuous organogenesis from meristems throughout life.
- The shoot apical meristem (SAM) is crucial for generating aerial organs like leaves.
- Maintaining SAM homeostasis requires balancing stem cell renewal and differentiation via dynamic zonation and cell signaling.
Approach:
- Reviewing current literature on SAM formation and maintenance.
- Focusing on cell signaling mechanisms within the SAM.
- Integrating findings from studies on WUSCHEL-CLAVATA feedback, auxin transport/signaling, and single-cell techniques.
Key Points:
- The WUSCHEL-CLAVATA feedback loop is central to SAM homeostasis, with ongoing discovery of new components and signaling mechanisms.
- Polar auxin transport and signaling play multifaceted roles in SAM function and organogenesis.
- Single-cell technologies provide high-resolution insights into cellular functions within the shoot apex.
Conclusions:
- Cell signaling is fundamental to the spatial zonation and functional domains of the SAM.
- Understanding these signaling pathways is key to unraveling the regulation of SAM formation and maintenance.
- This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding SAM cell signaling for comprehensive insights.
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