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Short-range control of cell differentiation in the Arabidopsis root meristem

Nature volume 390, pages 287–289 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Meristems are distinctive regions of plants that have capacity for continuous growth. Their developmental activity generates the majority of plant organs1. It is currently unknown how cell division and cell differentiation are orchestrated in meristems, although genetic studies have demonstrated the relevance of a proper balance between the two processes2,3,4,5,6. Root meristems contain a distinct central region of mitotically inactive cells, the quiescent centre7, the function of which has remained elusive until now. Here we present laser ablation and genetic data that show that in Arabidopsis thaliana the quiescent centre inhibits differentiation of surrounding cells. Differentiation regulation occurs within the range of a single cell, in a manner strikingly similar to examples in animal development, such as during delamination of Drosophila neuroblasts8. Our data indicate that pattern formation in the root meristem is controlled by a balance between short-range signals inhibiting differentiation and signals that reinforce cell fate decisions9.

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Figure 1: QC cells inhibit differentiation of contacting columella initials.
Figure 2: Models for the regulation of cell differentiation and cell division of columella initials by the QC (a), and a generalized model for the control of differentiation of cells in the root meristem (b).
Figure 3: The QC arrests differentiation of cortical initials.

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Acknowledgements

We thank W. Hage for assistance with the confocal microscope; P. Westers for statistical analysis; D. Smit, F. Kuyer and B. Landman for artwork; F. Kindt, R. Leitho, W. Veenendaal and P. Brouwer for photography; and H. I. McKhann and P. Benfey for useful suggestions on the manuscript. C.v.d.B. was sponsored by a grant from the Dutch Organisation of Life Sciences (SLW).

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  1. Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Claudia van den Berg, Viola Willemsen, Giel Hendriks, Peter Weisbeek & Ben Scheres

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  1. Claudia van den Berg
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Correspondence to Ben Scheres.

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van den Berg, C., Willemsen, V., Hendriks, G. et al. Short-range control of cell differentiation in the Arabidopsis root meristem. Nature 390, 287–289 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/36856

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