A Journey to the Core of the Plant Cell Cycle

Abstract

Production of new cells as a result of progression through the cell division cycle is a fundamental biological process for the perpetuation of both unicellular and multicellular organisms. In the case of plants, their developmental strategies and their largely sessile nature has imposed a series of evolutionary trends. Studies of the plant cell division cycle began with cytological and physiological approaches in the 1950s and 1960s. The decade of 1990 marked a turn point with the increasing development of novel cellular and molecular protocols combined with advances in genetics and, later, genomics, leading to an exponential growth of the field. In this article, I review the current status of plant cell cycle studies but also discuss early studies and the relevance of a multidisciplinary background as a source of innovative questions and answers. In addition to advances in a deeper understanding of the plant cell cycle machinery, current studies focus on the intimate interaction of cell cycle components with almost every aspect of plant biology.

Metabolic regulation of quiescence in plants

“…In framing this review, we also acknowledge recent contributions on shoot branching (Barbier et al., 2019 ), the signalling roles of sugars (Wingler & Henriques, 2022 ), nutrients (L. Li et al., 2021 ), SNF1‐related protein kinase (SnRK1) and trehalose‐6‐phosphate (T6P) (Baena‐González & Lunn, 2020 ; Crepin & Rolland, 2019 ; Fichtner & Lunn, 2021 ), and the TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR) kinase (Artins & Caldana, 2022 ; Meng et al., 2022 ). We also point to notable recent reviews of cell cycle processes within plants (Desvoyes et al., 2021 ; Gutierrez, 2022 ; Sablowski & Gutierrez, 2022 ) and beyond (Huber et al., 2021 ; Ludikhuize & Rodríguez Colman, 2021 ; Marescal & Cheeseman, 2020 ).…”

The F‐box protein SHORT PRIMARY ROOT modulates primary root meristem activity by targeting SEUSS‐LIKE protein for degradation in rice

“…Consistently, the rate of cell proliferation in the MZ of shpr and OE‐OsSLK is decreased (Figures 1C, 6E). Previous work has shown that normal progression of the cell cycle in the meristem contributes to the regulation of meristem size and root growth (Shimotohno et al, 2021; Gutierrez, 2022). For example, Brassinosteroid (BR)‐insensitive bri1‐116 mutant exhibits cell division defects that negatively affect meristem size in Arabidopsis .…”

The class VIII myosin ATM1 is required for root apical meristem function

“…Previous studies have shown that cell proliferation in the root meristem is controlled by cell cycle events governed by transcription factors ( Gutierrez, 2022 ; Li et al, 2017 ; Ornelas-Ayala et al, 2020 ; Sozzani et al, 2010 ; Xiong et al, 2013 ). Cell cycle progression from one phase to another is a tightly regulated process and requires mitogenic signals mainly at the G1/S and G2/M transitions ( Desvoyes et al, 2020 ; Gutierrez, 2022 ). Sugars are potent mitogenic signals that mediate the progression of cell cycle from G1 to S phase ( Li et al, 2017 ; Xiong et al, 2013 ).…”