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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
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Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation
Published on: April 19, 2019
Cell-specific dedifferentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Fabio Gomez-Cano1, Luguang Jiang1, Yoonjin Cho1
1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 4, 2026
Summary
Plant cells can revert to totipotency, but the process is complex. This study reveals how phytohormones, chromatin remodeling, and cell identity influence plant cell dedifferentiation and stem cell-like state acquisition.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Cellular Reprogramming
Background:
- Single somatic plant cells possess the inherent ability to dedifferentiate and regain totipotency.
- Current understanding of the dedifferentiation process is incomplete, hindering efforts to engineer plant cell identities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transcriptional dynamics during dedifferentiation in *Arabidopsis thaliana* protoplasts.
- To understand the roles of phytohormones, cell aging, and chromatin remodeling in plant cell reprogramming.
Main Methods:
- Utilized single-cell RNA sequencing on 125,091 whole seedling protoplasts from *Arabidopsis thaliana*.
- Analyzed transcriptional changes over time and under various chemical perturbations.
Main Results:
- Observed cell-type-specific transcriptional reprogramming, including a guard cell-specific somatic embryogenic program.
- Phytohormones were found to counteract cell aging and promote totipotency acquisition.
- Dedifferentiation is a non-uniform process involving heterogeneous stem cell-like identities and chromatin remodeling.
Conclusions:
- Initial somatic cell identity, phytohormone signaling, and chromatin remodeling are key regulators of early dedifferentiation.
- Dedifferentiation heterogeneity arises from diverse stem potential, variable rates, and varied reprogramming outcomes.
- A shared regulatory program underlies early dedifferentiation across diverse cell types.
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