Flower development : from morphodynamics to morphomechanics
The shoot apical meristem (SAM) continuously generates leaves, flowers, and branches in higher plants. In the past decades, many components of the gene regulatory networks in the SAM have been identified. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal coordination between gene expression patterns and growth at cellular resolution. This lack of understanding is mainly due to the lack of comprehensive quantification of organ wide cell properties over time with regards to the underlying molecular networks. We address this problem in early flower development of Arabidopsis thaliana using high resolution confocal time lapse imaging, combined with genetic and biophysical approaches. Hereby we are focusing on the cell wall, which plays a central role in the control of growth rates and growth directions.
Recent relevant publications from our team :
Ali O, Traas J* (2016) Force-Driven Polymerization and Turgor-Induced Wall Expansion. Trends Plant Sci. 2016 May;21(5):398-409. Theoretical analysis.
Boudon F, Chopard J, Ali O, Gilles B, Hamant O, Boudaoud A, Traas J*, Godin* C. (2015) A computational framework for 3D mechanical modeling of plant morphogenesis with cellular resolution.PLoS Comput Biol. 2015 Jan 8;11(1):e1003950.
Sassi M, Ali O, Boudon F, Cloarec G, Abad U, Cellier C, Chen X, Gilles B, Milani P, Friml J, Vernoux T, Godin C, Hamant O, Traas J. (2014) An auxin-mediated shift toward growth isotropy promotes organ formation at the shoot meristem in Arabidopsis . Curr Biol. 2014 Oct 6;24(19):2335-42
Vernoux T, Brunoud G, Farcot E, Morin V, Van den Daele H, Legrand J, Oliva M, Das P, Larrieu A, Wells D, Guédon Y, Armitage L, Picard F, Guyomarc'h S, Cellier C, Parry G, Koumproglou R, Doonan JH, Estelle M, Godin C, Kepinski S, Bennett M, De Veylder L, Traas J. (2012) The auxin signalling network translates dynamic input into robust patterning at the shoot apex. Mol Syst Biol. 2011 Jul 5;7:508.
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