Elsevier

Current Opinion in Plant Biology

Volume 17, February 2014, Pages 86-95
Current Opinion in Plant Biology

Shoot meristems of deciduous woody perennials: self-organization and morphogenetic transitions

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2013.11.009Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Under short days the SAM of axillary and terminal buds self-arrests.

  • The dormant state is enforced by the uncoupling of SAM cells.

  • Paralogs FT1 and FT2 have seasonally diversified in function.

  • Flowering is restricted to a subset of the axillary buds in the adult phase.

  • Chilling-recruited lipid bodies deliver 1,3-β-glucanases to recover plasmodesmata.

Shoot apical meristems of deciduous woody perennials share gross structural features with other angiosperms, but are unique in the seasonal regulation of vegetative and floral meristems. Supporting longevity, flowering is postponed to the adult phase, and restricted to some axillary meristems. In cold climates, photoperiodic timing mechanisms and chilling are recruited to schedule end-of-season growth arrest, dormancy cycling and flowering. We review recently uncovered generic meristem properties, perennial meristem fate, and the role of CENL1, FT1 and FT2 in bud formation and flowering. We also highlight novel findings, suggesting that dormancy release is mediated by mobile lipid bodies that deliver enzymes to plasmodesmata to recover symplasmic communication and meristem function.

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