Clark Frances K., a doctoral researcher, has recently led the charge on a particularly fascinating investigation. This summer, she is investigating whether giant pavement cells exist in Arabidopsis leaves. Her recent study, published in PLOS Biology, examines the origins of these cells. If they’re not random, it would help to know the nature of that non-randomness. The research team included two highly regarded collaborators—Gauthier Weissbart and Pau Formosa-Jordan. Both come from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany.
Giant pavement cells typically average at least six times larger than smaller adjacent cells. Scientists have long marveled at the unique clusters they form within the leaf structure. Clark’s research tackled the mystery of how to organize these giant cells amidst all the other, smaller, plant cells. The study aims to reveal the underlying mechanisms that govern cell size and distribution, particularly as changes occur at various growth stages in the same Arabidopsis leaf.
The study’s findings imply that the majority of biological patterning systems are dependent upon a system of cells signaling to their neighbors. Clark suggests that it is growth, in fact, that can serve as the palpable organizing force in this extreme scenario. She describes her vision as “scattering seeds.” This approach illustrates the complex cellular patterning arising from growth and helps us understand how these growth patterns can affect the overall structure of plant tissues.
Adrienne Roeder, a professor in the Section of Plant Biology, directs the research. She has joint appointments in the School of Integrative Plant Science and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology. Her deep knowledge of plant biology was a key factor steering the study’s direction and discoveries. Weissbart and Formosa-Jordan’s collaboration brought an unexpected international perspective that deepened the research’s depth and scope.
Though this study nevertheless focuses on floral organ development, wider implications for how cellular organization influences plant development at large can be drawn from these findings. Scientists are still doing the research to find the facts. They’re getting to the bottom of how plants modulate their morphological traits to maximize growth and performance.