Computational modelling of cambium activity provides a regulatory framework for simulating radial plant growth
- Heidelberg University, Germany
- Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austria
- Leiden University, Netherlands
Abstract
Precise organization of growing structures is a fundamental process in developmental biology. In plants, radial growth is mediated by the cambium, a stem cell niche continuously producing wood (xylem) and bast (phloem) in a strictly bidirectional manner. While this process contributes large parts to terrestrial biomass, cambium dynamics eludes direct experimental access due to obstacles in live cell imaging. Here, we present a cell-based computational model visualizing cambium activity and integrating the function of central cambium regulators. Performing iterative comparisons of plant and model anatomies, we conclude that the receptor-like kinase PXY and its ligand CLE41 are part of a minimal framework sufficient for instructing tissue organization. By integrating tissue-specific cell wall stiffness values, we moreover probe the influence of physical constraints on tissue geometry. Our model highlights the role of intercellular communication within the cambium and shows that a limited number of factors is sufficient to create radial growth by bidirectional tissue production.
Data availability
Code files for presented models are deposited at https://github.com/thomasgreb/Lebovka-et-al_cambium-models.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GR2104/4-1)
- Thomas Greb
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GR2104/5-2)
- Thomas Greb
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GR2104/6)
- Thomas Greb
Joachim Herz Stiftung
- Ruth Großeholz
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (CRC 1101)
- Ruth Großeholz
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Krzysztof Wabnik, Technical University of Madrid, Spain
Version history
- Preprint posted: January 17, 2020 (view preprint)
- Received: January 17, 2021
- Accepted: March 6, 2023
- Accepted Manuscript published: March 10, 2023 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: April 3, 2023 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2023, Lebovka et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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Computational modelling of cambium activity provides a regulatory framework for simulating radial plant growth
eLife 12:e66627.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.66627
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