About this Research Topic

Background

Although the genetic basis of plant development is relatively well characterized in Arabidopsis, our understanding of how gene activity translates into organ shapes is very limited. Biological structures emerge from the complex interactions between cellular growth, patterning, differentiation, and mechanical constraints. During development and evolution, there are multiple possibilities to modulate these processes in terms of both space and time to generate shape diversity. It is, therefore, insufficient to understand development solely based on final phenotypes. One needs to directly measure tissue deformation over time and link it to gene expression and physical constraints to understand how growth regulators control the behavior and interactions of cells and tissues in growing organs to fine-tune development.

Recent advances in growth imaging and quantification, combined with genetics and computational modelling applied to an increasing range of model systems has led to a significant increase in our understanding of how cell and tissue level regulation controls plant organogenesis. Those approaches have uncovered a number of new mechanisms controlling organogenesis at both local and global scales. We are, however, still far away from an integrated and comprehensive understanding of organogenesis in plants. This Research Topic will highlight current advances in the molecular, cellular, and biomechanical control of plant growth in both established and emerging model species across the plant kingdom. We aim to elucidate how the control of cellular growth, proliferation and differentiation produces organs with consistent shapes during development and how modulation of those same processes allow diversity to emerge during evolution.

We invite submissions of original research, opinion, and (mini) review papers related to this theme. We are especially welcoming interdisciplinary manuscripts which combine genetics with quantitative imaging, mathematical modelling, and/or biophysical approaches to a diversity of model systems.

Our Research Topic covers themes such us:
• Growth tracking and quantification
• Molecular control of growth patterns
• Biomechanical feedbacks (conflicts) during growth and their role in shaping organs
• Plant morphodynamics as a tool to understand development

Image credit: Constance le Gloanec, Emilie Echevin, and Daniel Kierzkowski (University of Montreal).

Keywords: Organogenesis, live imaging, plant biomechanics, mechanical feedback (conflicts), evo-devo, morphodynamics, growth, patterning, differentiation

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