Molecular regulation of asymmetric cell division in dicots: insights from Arabidopsis development

In plant development, asymmetric cell division (ACD) divides a cell into two daughter cells that differ in size, morphology, location, and cellular components with distinct fates, which is necessary for systematically generating disparities in cell shape and fate. In embryonic and post-embryonic development, cell polarization, embryogenesis, stomatal formation, apical and root meristems, and lateral root (LR) formation are critical fate determinants where ACD plays key roles through various signaling molecules, pathways, as well as intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms and their master regulators, that routinely regulate the symmetry-breaking events. In addition to key transcription factors, epigenetic mechanisms are crucial for regulating stem-cell maintenance and determining the fate of both progenitor and daughter cells by integrating signals and specifying cells destined for this cell division. However, the extensive understanding of the expression of these regulators, the molecular mechanisms underlying division asymmetry, and how the division plane is positioned off the center of the cell at asymmetry, remains largely unresolved in plants. Here, we have comprehensively reviewed research progress related to recent discoveries in Arabidopsis cell division. These studies collectively advance our knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms governing ACD. Finally, we summarized the roles of regulators that determine the mechanisms of cell division, and also linked up their molecular functions and cell signaling cascades in plant growth and development. However, further insightful molecular research on the principle of ACD is needed for a broader understanding of plant developmental processes.