| The elaboration of plant form and function depends on the ability of a plant cell to divide and differentiate. The decisions of individual cells to enter the cell cycle, maintain proliferation competence, become quiescent, expand, differentiate, or die depend on cell-to-cell communication and on the perception of various signals. These signals can include hormones, nutrients, light, temperature, and internal positional and developmental cues. In recent years, progress has been made in understanding the molecular control of plant pattern formation, especially in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Furthermore, specific genes have been found that are necessary for normal pattern formation and the control of the rates of cell division and differentiation.... |
