Oral Presentation International Plant Molecular Biology Conference 2024

Cell polarity - the nexus of shape, mechanics and morphogenesis? (#545)

Dolf D Weijers 1
  1. Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands

In any multicellular organism, morphogenesis and function depend on the orderly arrangement, growth, and shape of individual cells, as well as their coordination. An important element in providing cells with positional, vectorial information is the establishment of cell polarity through the local, subcellular accumulation of proteins, RNAs, or organelles. Cell polarity in plants is crucial for numerous processes, that include directional hormone, nutrient or ion transport, and asymmetric cell division. The molecular and cellular mechanisms that control cell polarity in plants however are not well understood, mostly because generic mechanisms acting across species and cell types have not yet been identified. I will present the work from our team on dissecting such general mechanisms of plant cell polarity. This will include an update on our analysis of the recently identified SOSEKI proteins – deeply conserved polymeric polarity proteins. I will also highlight the systematic approaches we are taking to identify new polarity proteins and polarity regulators and present our recent work on how cell polarity connects to cellular mechanics.