Cellular and molecular events in a newly organizing lateral root meristem.

Spontaneous or auxin-induced lateral root formation in radish and Arabidopis provides an efficient system in which to examine molecular and cellular events associated with the initiation of a new meristem. Subtracted cDNA libraries made at different times in lateral root initiation were used as a source of genes that are expressed differentially during this developmental process, and expression studies on a small gene family of ribosomal protein genes were conducted. From analysis of cell division patterns in pericycle cells the number of founder cells for lateral roots was established. By the use of in vitro growth assays lateral root formation was determined to be a two-stage process. First a primordium is formed, and subsequently a subset of primordial cells begins to function as the lateral root apical meristem. This mode of root development has implications for pattern formation in newly organizing organs.