Abstract
Coordination of fate transition and cell division is crucial to maintain the plant architecture and to achieve efficient production of plant organs. In this paper, we analysed the stem cell dynamics at the shoot apical meristem (SAM) that is one of the plant stem cells locations. We designed a mathematical model to elucidate the impact of hormonal signaling on the fate transition rates between different zones corresponding to slowly dividing stem cells and fast dividing transit amplifying cells. The model is based on a simplified two-dimensional disc geometry of the SAM and accounts for a continuous displacement towards the periphery of cells produced in the central zone. Coupling growth and hormonal signaling results in a nonlinear system of reaction-diffusion equations on a growing domain with the growth rate depending on the model components. The model is tested by simulating perturbations in the level of key transcription factors that maintain SAM homeostasis. The model provides new insights on how the transcription factor HECATE is integrated in the regulatory network that governs stem cell differentiation.
Highlights
Tissue function is an effect of the cooperation of multiple specialized cell types
In this paper we focus on the stem cell dynamics in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) that is responsible for formation of all above ground structures
WUS is produced in the organizing center (OC) and moves to the central zone (CZ) where it maintains the stem cell identity
Summary
Tissue function is an effect of the cooperation of multiple specialized cell types. Maintain and regenerate tissues, cell production and fate specification have to be orchestrated in a robust and well-defined manner. Perturbations of the underlying control mechanisms may reduce the ability of the organism to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Plants continuously generate new organs such as leaves, roots and flowers. For this purpose they maintain pools of stem cells which remain active during the whole life of the plant. The plant stem cells are located in specialized tissues, referred to as meristems. The accessibility of meristems to live-imaging and the repetitive formation of identical organs, such as leaves, make plants an attractive system to study the regulatory cues underlying cell production and fate transition
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