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