In Vivo Analysis of Cell Division, Cell Growth, and Differentiation at the Shoot Apical Meristem in Arabidopsis

AUTOR(ES)

Grandjean, Olivier

FONTE

American Society of Plant Biologists

RESUMO

The aerial parts of the plant are generated by groups of rapidly dividing cells called shoot apical meristems. To analyze cell behavior in these structures, we developed a technique to visualize living shoot apical meristems using the confocal microscope. This method, combined with green fluorescent protein marker lines and vital stains, allows us to follow the dynamics of cell proliferation, cell expansion, and cell differentiation at the shoot apex. Using this approach, the effects of several mitotic drugs on meristem development were studied. Oryzalin (depolymerizing microtubules) very rapidly caused cell division arrest. Nevertheless, both cell expansion and cell differentiation proceeded in the treated meristems. Interestingly, DNA synthesis was not blocked, and the meristematic cells went through several rounds of endoreduplication in the presence of the drug. We next treated the meristems with two inhibitors of DNA synthesis, aphidicolin and hydroxyurea. In this case, cell growth and, later, cell differentiation were inhibited, suggesting an important role for DNA synthesis in growth and patterning.

Documentos Relacionados

• PROGRESSIVE CONFIGURATIONAL CHANGES, DURING CELL DIVISION, OF CELLS WITHIN THE APICAL MERISTEM*
• Cell division pattern influences gene expression in the shoot apical meristem
• Growth, Cell Division, and Fragmentation in a Species of Flexibacter
• Cellular parameters of the shoot apical meristem in Arabidopsis.
• The patterns of gene expression in the tomato shoot apical meristem.