Plant Organ Size Control

Lena Stransfeld, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
Michael Lenhard, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK

Published online: July 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0003363

Plant organ size is remarkably constant within a given species, while related species can show dramatic differences in size, indicating that the extent of organ growth is under tight genetic control. Plant organs grow initially by proliferation (i.e. cell growth and cell division) and in a second phase by cell expansion without further divisions. Both processes are regulated by a number of genetic pathways in a positive or negative manner.

Keywords: organ size; proliferation; expansion; size checkpoint; Arabidopsis

Figure 1. An example for stable organ size differences between closely related species. Plants of Capsella grandiflora (left) form much larger flowers than C. rubella (right), even though the two species are very closely related, highlighting the tight genetic control of plant organ size.
Figure 2. Schematic drawing of the factors influencing organ size in plants. Plant organs grow first by cell proliferation and then by postmitotic cell expansion. The timing of the transition from proliferation to expansion (grey bar) is influenced by multiple genes. Genes to the left of the grey bar act to delay the transition, while those to the right act to bring the transition forward. The genes below the red/blue time arrow either promote the respective growth process (arrows) or repress it (T-bar). For AN3, GRF5 and the ER-kinase family it has not been shown whether they influence the rate of proliferation or regulate the transition from proliferation to expansion. See text for further details.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Plant Cell Growth | Plant Development | Plant Genetics and Molecular Biology
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Article Title: Plant Organ Size Control
 
How to Cite close
Stransfeld, Lena, and Lenhard, Michael(Jul 2007) Plant Organ Size Control. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0003363]