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Updated: Jul 16, 2025

Confocal Live Imaging of Shoot Apical Meristems from Different Plant Species
Published on: March 29, 2019
Illuminating the path to shoot meristem regeneration: Molecular insights into reprogramming cells into stem cells
Yetkin Çaka Ince1, Keiko Sugimoto2
1RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehirocho, Tsurumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 230-0045 Japan.
Abstract:
Plant cells possess the ability to dedifferentiate and reprogram into stem cell-like populations, enabling the regeneration of new organs. However, the maintenance of stem cells relies on specialized microenvironments composed of distinct cell populations with specific functions. Consequently, the regeneration process necessitates the orchestrated regulation of multiple pathways across diverse cellular populations. One crucial pathway involves the transcription factor WUSCHEL HOMEOBOX 5 (WOX5), which plays a pivotal role in reprogramming cells into stem cells and promoting their conversion into shoot meristems through WUSCHEL (WUS). Additionally, cell and tissue mechanics, including cell wall modifications and mechanical stress, critically contribute to de novo shoot organogenesis by regulating polar auxin transport. Furthermore, light signaling emerges as a key regulator of plant regeneration, directly influencing expression of meristem genes and potentially influencing aforementioned pathways as well.
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