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GDCB Promising Scientist Research Series: Mechanics of leaf growth and cell division patterns in plants

Apr 26, 2021 - 4:00 PM
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Speaker: Dr. Pablo Martinez, Hannah Gray Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles

Title: Mechanics of leaf growth and cell division patterns in plants

Abstract: The construction of elaborate organs during the development of both plants and animals relies on

the summative properties of individual cells across space and developmental time. In plants the

cell walls also can impose physical constraints at both the cell and supracellular level as cells

remain locked in place to their neighbors. In the maize leaf, the blade will anisotropically grow into

an elongated simple leaf shape where the majority of epidermal cell types in the blade display an

elongated shape which is oriented parallel to the main axis of organ growth. We are currently

developing a live cell imaging approach where maize leaves are grown in-vitro and cell growth in

the epidermis is tracked over the development of the leaf. Biochemical and immunological

approaches are also employed to understand the composition of the cell wall which allows for the

expansion of cells to occur. Biophysical measurements of cell wall stiffness will allow us to

determine the mechanical outcomes of cell wall composition over time. In addition, the correct

orientation of newly formed cell walls during cell division can also affect growth. The use of a

maize mutant tangled1 (tan1) allows us to assess the implications of altered cell shapes in

challenging a plant's ability to regulate organ level phenomena such as oriented tissue growth at

the level of cell geometry. Ultimately, we aim to uncover the mechanical and biochemical

properties of the cell wall which underpin the observed cell and tissue level growth patterns

necessary for proper organ formation.

WebEx Link: https://iastate.webex.com/iastate/j.php?MTID=m1b1629afc82e9902a63cc1d46…

Questions? Clark Coffman ccoffman@iastate.edu

April 26, 2021, GDCB Promising Scientist Seminar flyer (Pablo Martinez)