An experimentally tractable system for investigating cell-fate determination in plants is the specification of the predictable pattern of hair and non-hair cells seen in the Arabidopsis root epidermis. Several putative transcriptional regulators have been implicated in this process and, on p. 6431, Bernhardt et al. report that two Arabidopsis genes encoding basic helix-loop-helix proteins - GLABRA3 (GL3) and ENHANCER OF GLABRA3 (EGL3) - act in a partly redundant manner during the specification of root epidermal cells. No non-hair cells were formed in plants carrying homozygous null mutations in both genes. Conversely, overexpression of either gene produced ectopic non-hair cells. Other results indicate that GL3/EGL3 also influence hair cell specification,leading the researchers to propose a model in which interactions between GL3/EGL3 and the MYB proteins WEREWOLF and CAPRICE mediate cell-fate decision during the development of the root epidermis.
History of our journals
As our publisher, The Company of Biologists, turns 100 years old, read about Development’s journey and highlights from some its first issues, and explore the history of each of our sister journals: Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues
Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 15 May 2025.
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology
In this Perspective, B. Duygu Özpolat and colleagues survey researchers on their views on what it takes to infer mechanism in developmental biology. They examine what factors shape our idea of what we mean by ‘mechanism’ and suggest a path forward that embraces a broad outlook on the diversity of studies that advance knowledge in our field.
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