van den Berg C, Willemsen V, Hendriks G, Weisbeek P, Scheres B
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Nature. 1997 Nov 20;390(6657):287-9. doi: 10.1038/36856.
Meristems are distinctive regions of plants that have capacity for continuous growth. Their developmental activity generates the majority of plant organs. It is currently unknown how cell division and cell differentiation are orchestrated in meristems, although genetic studies have demonstrated the relevance of a proper balance between the two processes. Root meristems contain a distinct central region of mitotically inactive cells, the quiescent centre, the function of which has remained elusive until now. Here we present laser ablation and genetic data that show that in Arabidopsis thaliana the quiescent centre inhibits differentiation of surrounding cells. Differentiation regulation occurs within the range of a single cell, in a manner strikingly similar to examples in animal development, such as during delamination of Drosophila neuroblasts. Our data indicate that pattern formation in the root meristem is controlled by a balance between short-range signals inhibiting differentiation and signals that reinforce cell fate decisions.
分生组织是植物中具有持续生长能力的独特区域。它们的发育活动产生了大多数植物器官。目前尚不清楚在分生组织中细胞分裂和细胞分化是如何协调的，尽管遗传学研究已经证明了这两个过程之间适当平衡的相关性。根分生组织包含一个有丝分裂不活跃细胞的独特中央区域，即静止中心，其功能至今仍不清楚。在这里，我们展示了激光消融和遗传数据，表明在拟南芥中，静止中心抑制周围细胞的分化。分化调控发生在单个细胞的范围内，其方式与动物发育中的例子惊人地相似，例如果蝇神经母细胞的分层过程。我们的数据表明，根分生组织中的模式形成是由抑制分化的短程信号和强化细胞命运决定的信号之间的平衡所控制的。
