Department of Comparative Development and Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln, Germany.
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
J Microsc. 2022 Sep;287(3):107-113. doi: 10.1111/jmi.13130. Epub 2022 Jul 12.
As many multicellular organisms, land plants start their life as a single cell, which forms an embryo. Embryo morphology is relatively simple, yet comprises basic tissues and organs, as well as stem cells that sustain post-embryonic development. Being condensed in both time and space, early plant embryogenesis offers an excellent window to study general principles of plant development. However, it has been technically challenging to obtain high spatial microscopic resolution, or to perform live imaging, that would enable an in-depth investigation. Recent advances in sample preparation and microscopy now allow studying the detailed cellular morphology of plant embryos in 3D. When coupled to quantitative image analysis and computational modelling, this allows resolving the temporal and spatial interactions between cellular patterning and genetic networks. In this review, we discuss examples of interdisciplinary studies that showcase the potential of the early plant embryo for revealing principles underlying plant development.
与许多多细胞生物一样，陆地植物从一个形成胚胎的单细胞开始其生命历程。胚胎形态相对简单，但包含基本组织和器官，以及维持胚胎后发育的干细胞。由于早期植物胚胎发生在时间和空间上都被压缩，因此它为研究植物发育的一般原理提供了极好的窗口。然而，要获得高空间微观分辨率或进行活体成像以进行深入研究，在技术上具有挑战性。目前，在样本制备和显微镜技术方面的进展，使得能够对植物胚胎的详细细胞形态进行 3D 研究。当与定量图像分析和计算模型相结合时，这可以解析细胞模式与遗传网络之间的时空相互作用。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了一些跨学科研究的例子，这些例子展示了早期植物胚胎在揭示植物发育基础原理方面的潜力。
