De novo formation of the generative plant meristem in 4D

Meristem formation is essential for continuous and organised growth in all land plants.

The meristem is a multicellular generative centre that produces the plant body and is maintained by spatially restricted gene expression domains throughout a plant’s lifespan. However, little is known about how these stable patterns are established de novo from a single cell.

This is because embryonic meristem formation in flowering plants is enclosed within the seed and fruit and therefore live imaging, chemical treatments and gene interaction studies are technically difficult. The bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha has emerged as a powerful model to investigate meristem formation in real time.

The single-celled Marchantia haploid spore is exposed and undergoes defined patterns of cell division to ultimately produce a highly organised meristem.

In the proposed project, spatial and temporal gene expression changes will be observed live during meristem formation, and the molecular interactions driving these changes will be identified.

As well as revealing how gene expression patterns and feedback loops can form de novo, this work will reveal key innovations during meristem evolution and identify the fundamental requirements for meristem formation in land plants.