Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
06:46
Confocal Live Imaging of Shoot Apical Meristems from Different Plant Species
Published on: March 29, 2019
Super-resolution multimodal spatial transcriptomics reveals an ovoid stem cell niche structuring de novo shoot
Xiehai Song1, Shaoman Zhang2, Zhiliang Yue1
1Shandong Key Laboratory of Precision Molecular Crop Design and Breeding, Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences in Weifang, Shandong 261325, China.
Molecular Plant
|May 16, 2026
Summary
Plant regeneration relies on stem-cell niches (SCNs). This study reveals a novel ovoid SCN structure in tomato, detailing its organization and the EPFL8b signaling pathway crucial for shoot regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Regenerative medicine
Background:
- Plant de novo regeneration differs from animal systems, requiring callus formation and stem-cell niche (SCN) re-establishment.
- While hormones and genetic factors are known to influence regeneration, the architectural principles governing cellular reprogramming remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the architectural principles coordinating cellular reprogramming during plant shoot regeneration.
- To characterize the structure and cell-state dynamics within stem-cell niches during tomato regeneration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized super-resolution multimodal spatial transcriptomics to profile ~1.2 million cells during tomato shoot regeneration.
- Employed high-resolution spatial imaging to identify SCN architecture and cell localization.
- Conducted genetic, peptide-treatment, and protein-interaction analyses to investigate signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Resolved vascular-associated callus initiation, cell-state transitions, and WUS-expressing cell organization.
- Identified a novel ovoid-structured SCN with distinct peripheral signaling, intermediate plastic, and central quiescent compartments.
- Demonstrated that EPFL8b signaling, acting through its receptors ER and ERL1, is essential for SCN organization and shoot regeneration.
Conclusions:
- Plant regeneration is fundamentally governed by structural organization, expanding beyond gene-centric views.
- Discovered a novel SCN architecture and identified EPFL8b signaling as a key regulator of its organization and function.
- Provides a high-resolution framework for understanding stem-cell niche formation in plant regeneration.
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