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Root Apical Meristem Pattern: Hormone Circuitry and Transcriptional Networks

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Book cover Progress in Botany 72

Part of the book series: Progress in Botany ((BOTANY,volume 72))

Abstract

In higher plants, growth and development relies on the spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression, which is under the control of both endogenous signals and external stimuli. In this chapter, recent advances in defining signaling machinery and genetic frameworks that underlie RAM patterning and maintenance are reviewed, with a focus on the interplay between different hormone classes. The evidence for an epigenetic control of the root developmental program is also briefly considered. Conceivably, many other aspects are still to be elucidated. Future challenges deal with, on the one hand, understanding how signaling and genetic programs are modulated to achieve adaptative traits under environmental pressure and, on the other, how cell fate is reprogrammed in vivo and in vitro. We conclude that knowledge from the plant model, Arabidopsis thaliana, could enhance our understanding of more complex species encountered in crop systems and could provide relevant perspectives for both crop improvement and plant biotechnology.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dennis Francis for fruitful discussions, helpful comments, and for critical reading of the manuscript. We also apologize to authors whose relevant work could not be cited owing to space constraints. Finally, M.B.B. is grateful to her Ph.D student Domenico Iaria for Photoshop drawings.

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  1. Department of Ecology, University of Calabria, Arcavacata Rende (CS), Italy

    M. B. Bitonti & A. Chiappetta

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  1. M. B. Bitonti
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Correspondence to M. B. Bitonti .

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  1. Inst. Botanik, TU Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstr. 3-5, Darmstadt, 64287, Germany

    Ulrich E. Lüttge

  2. Fakultät für Biologie, LS für Experimentelle Ökologie, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Wolfram Beyschlag

  3. FB Biologie, Abt. Allgemeine Botanik, TU Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Str., Kaiserslautern, 67663, Germany

    Burkhard Büdel

  4. Cardiff School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, Cardiff, United Kingdom

    Dennis Francis

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Bitonti, M.B., Chiappetta, A. (2010). Root Apical Meristem Pattern: Hormone Circuitry and Transcriptional Networks. In: Lüttge, U., Beyschlag, W., Büdel, B., Francis, D. (eds) Progress in Botany 72. Progress in Botany, vol 72. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13145-5_2

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