More than cell wall hydrolysis: orchestration of cellular dynamics for organ separation

Curr Opin Plant Biol. 2019 Oct:51:37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2019.03.009. Epub 2019 May 3.

Abstract

Plants' ability to cope with the ever-changing environment is one of the hallmarks that distinguishes plants from animals. Plants stationed in one place have evolved to remodel their architecture in response to the environmental factors by continuously creating new organ systems and removing existing organs through abscission. Herein, I provide insights into developmental plasticity of plants, focusing on the exit strategy (abscission). When plants start developing organs, the elimination tactics are also established in the form of abscission zones (AZ), that is, specialized cell layers for organ separation. Herein, recent advances in understanding the spatial regulatory mechanism of AZ in terms of cellular dynamics, coordination, and reconfiguration of the physical barrier of the cell wall to achieve precise abscission are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cell Wall*
  • Flowers
  • Hydrolysis
  • Plants*