Traffic monitors at the cell periphery: the role of cell walls during early female reproductive cell differentiation in plants

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology 2014-02, Vol.17, p.137-145
• Main Authors: Tucker, Matthew R, Koltunow, Anna MG
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cell Differentiation - physiology; Cell Wall - metabolism; Cell Wall - physiology; Models, Biological; Ovule - cytology; Ovule - growth & development; Ovule - metabolism; Plant Development - physiology; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Plants - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2013.11.015

•Female reproductive precursor cell fate is controlled by multiple somatic signals.•Cell wall bound arabinogalactan proteins determine female reproductive precursor fate.•Callose deposits in young ovules, mediated by GSL8, influence female gamete ploidy.•Cell-type specific mRNA profiles capture cell wall gene expression in female reproductive precursor cells. The formation of female gametes in plants occurs within the ovule, a floral organ that is also the precursor of the seed. Unlike animals, plants lack a typical germline separated from the soma early in development and rely on positional signals, including phytohormones, mobile mRNAs and sRNAs, to direct diploid somatic precursor cells onto a reproductive program. In addition, signals moving between plant cells must overcome the architectural limitations of a cell wall which surrounds the plasma membrane. Recent studies have addressed the molecular and histological signatures of young ovule cells and indicate that dynamic cell wall changes occur over a short developmental window. These changes in cell wall properties impact signal flow and ovule cell identity, thereby aiding the establishment of boundaries between reproductive and somatic ovule domains.