Asymmetric cell division in plants: mechanisms of symmetry breaking and cell fate determination.

Asymmetric cell division is a fundamental mechanism that generates cell diversity while maintaining self-renewing stem cell populations in multicellular organisms. Both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms underpin symmetry breaking and differential daughter cell fate determination in animals and plants. The emerging picture suggests that plants deal with the problem of symmetry breaking using unique cell polarity proteins, mobile transcription factors, and cell wall components to influence asymmetric divisions and cell fate.

Stomatal development in Arabidopsis.

Stomata consist of two guard cells that function as turgor-operated valves that regulate gas exchange in plants. In Arabidopsis, a dedicated cell lineage is initiated and undergoes a series of cell divisions and cell-state transitions to produce a stoma. A set of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors regulates the transition and differentiation events through the lineage, while the placement of stomata relative to each other is controlled by intercellular signaling via peptide ligands, transmembrane receptors, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) modules.

Mechanisms of stomatal development.

The main route for CO(2) and water vapor exchange between a plant and the environment is through small pores called stomata. The accessibility of stomata and predictable division series that characterize their development provides an excellent system to address fundamental questions in biology. Stomatal cell-state transition and specification are regulated by a suite of transcription factors controlled by positional signaling via peptide ligands and transmembrane receptors.

Molecular profiling of stomatal meristemoids reveals new component of asymmetric cell division and commonalities among stem cell populations in Arabidopsis.

The balance between maintenance and differentiation of stem cells is a central question in developmental biology. Development of stomata in Arabidopsis thaliana begins with de novo asymmetric divisions producing meristemoids, proliferating precursor cells with stem cell-like properties. The transient and asynchronous nature of the meristemoid has made it difficult to study its molecular characteristics.

SCREAM/ICE1 and SCREAM2 specify three cell-state transitional steps leading to arabidopsis stomatal differentiation.

Differentiation of specialized cell types in multicellular organisms requires orchestrated actions of cell fate determinants. Stomata, valves on the plant epidermis, are formed through a series of differentiation events mediated by three closely related basic-helix-loop-helix proteins: SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE, and FAMA. However, it is not known what mechanism coordinates their actions.

The bHLH protein, MUTE, controls differentiation of stomata and the hydathode pore in Arabidopsis.

Stomata are turgor-driven epidermal valves on the surface of plants that allow for efficient gas and water exchange between the plant and its environment. The Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein, MUTE, is a master regulator of stomatal differentiation where it is required for progression through the stomatal lineage and the differentiation of stomata. The genetic control of stomatal spacing across the epidermal surface is variable in different organs.

Breaking the silence: three bHLH proteins direct cell-fate decisions during stomatal development.

Stomata are microscopic pores on the surface of land plants used for gas and water vapor exchange. A pair of highly specialized guard cells surround the pore and adjust pore size. Studies in Arabidopsis have revealed that cell-cell communication is essential to coordinate the asymmetric cell divisions required for proper stomatal patterning.

Haploinsufficiency after successive loss of signaling reveals a role for ERECTA-family genes in Arabidopsis ovule development.

The Arabidopsis genome contains three ERECTA-family genes, ERECTA (ER), ERECTA-LIKE 1 (ERL1) and ERL2 that encode leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases. This gene family acts synergistically to coordinate cell proliferation and growth during above-ground organogenesis with the major player, ER, masking the loss-of-function phenotypes of the other two members. To uncover the specific developmental consequence and minimum threshold requirement for signaling, ER-family gene function was successively eliminated.

Stomatal development: three steps for cell-type differentiation.

Stomata are microscopic pores on the plant epidermis that act as a major passage for the gas and water vapor exchange between a plant and the atmosphere. A pair of specialized guard cells work in concert to adjust pore size to maintain gas exchange while minimizing the water loss. The formation of stomata requires a series of cell-fate transitions from an initial meristemoid mother cell (MMC), to a stem-cell-like precursor meristemoid, to a guard mother cell (GMC), and finally to terminally-differentiated guard cells.

Termination of asymmetric cell division and differentiation of stomata.

Stomata consist of a pair of guard cells that mediate gas and water-vapour exchange between plants and the atmosphere. Stomatal precursor cells-meristemoids-possess a transient stem-cell-like property and undergo several rounds of asymmetric divisions before further differentiation. Here we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein MUTE is a key switch for meristemoid fate transition.

Stomatal patterning and differentiation by synergistic interactions of receptor kinases.

Coordinated spacing and patterning of stomata allow efficient gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere. Here we report that three ERECTA (ER)-family leucine-rich repeat-receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLKs) together control stomatal patterning, with specific family members regulating the specification of stomatal stem cell fate and the differentiation of guard cells. Loss-of-function mutations in all three ER-family genes cause stomatal clustering.

Isolation and characterization of a TERMINAL FLOWER homolog and its correlation with juvenility in citrus.

TERMINAL FLOWER is a key regulator of floral timing in Arabidopsis and other herbaceous species. A homolog of this gene, CsTFL, was isolated from the hybrid perennial tree crop Washington navel orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck).