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CELL CYCLE REGULATION. “Although plant cell division shares basic mechanisms with all eukaryotes, plants have evolved novel molecules orchestrating the cell cycle. Some regulatory proteins, such as cyclins and inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases, are particularly numerous in plants, possibly reflecting the remarkable ability of plants to modulate their postembryonic development.” https://lnkd.in/gMU_Jac View in LinkedIn

“EMBRYOGENESIS in higher plants, therefore, serves (i) to specify meristems and the shoot-root body pattern, (ii) to differentiate the primary plant tissue types, (iii) to generate a specialized storage organ essential for seed germination and seedling development, and (iv) to enable the sporophyte to lie dormant until conditions are favorable for postembryonic development.” http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2885440.pdf?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents View in LinkedIn

HORMONES. “Similar to animal hormones, small endogenous signaling molecules coordinate developmental and physiological processes in plants. As with their animal counterparts, plant hormones act at low concentrations and are often not synthesized where they act.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009286740900258X View in LinkedIn

GERM CELL SET-ASIDES. “Imagine a textbook entitled Developmental Biology that focuses entirely on plants, mentioning animals only for their peculiar way of making germ cells by setting aside a group of precursor cells early in the embryo. The converse has been, and still is, common practice.” http://ac.els-cdn.com/0092867495900659/1-s2.0-0092867495900659-main.pdf?_tid=4d4ebb00-9318-11e7-86e1-00000aacb362&acdnat=1504712004_432302d5e397300b77a7d0a78440aca5 View in LinkedIn

BEHAVIOR VERSUS DEVELOPMENT. “Plants and animals have different solutions to the problem of survival in ever-changing and often adverse environments. Whereas animals focus mainly on behavioral responses, such as fighting or running away, plants have a remarkable repertoire of developmental tricks to shape their body and optimize their metabolism to specific environmental demands. This developmental flexibility involves permanent stem cell populations called meristems, de novo organogenesis, a remarkable capacity for regeneration, and directional growth responses to external cues.” https://lnkd.in/gJZZCq8 View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE continues from last weekend musing on the differences between animals and plants. Plants are distinguished from animals in a number of ways, but in particular, that where the individual starts and finishes in plants is far from clear. Plants have a distributed body plan that continues to develop during the entire life of the plant. View in LinkedIn

EPIGENETIC SIGNALS. “Flowering plant development is wholly reliant on growth from meristems, which contain totipotent cells that give rise to all post-embryonic organs in the plant. Plants are uniquely able to alter their development throughout their lifespan through the generation of new organs in response to external signals.” https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7007-3-12 View in LinkedIn

Honey tests reveal global contamination by bee-harming pesticides https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/05/honey-tests-reveal-global-contamination-by-bee-harming-pesticides?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other View in LinkedIn

BODY PLAN FLEXIBILITY. “Plant development is remarkably plastic. Groups of totipotent cells termed meristems, which are maintained throughout the life of the plant, give rise to all post-embryonic organs from roots and leaves to petals and fruit. This allows plants, unlike metazoans, to change their final body plans dramatically in response to environmental, hormonal and nutritional cues.” https://lnkd.in/gjRTTC9 View in LinkedIn

CONTROL OF MERISTEMS. “Meristems continually supply new cells for post-embryonic plant development and coordinate the initiation of new organs, such as leaves and flowers. Meristem function is regulated by a large and interconnected dynamic system that includes transcription networks, intercellular protein signalling, polarized transport of hormones and a constantly changing cellular topology.” https://lnkd.in/gBriN3x View in LinkedIn