Animal cells typically become committed to specific cell lineages after several rounds of division. In contrast, plant cells exhibit remarkable plasticity in terms of cell fate, with a group of pluripotent stem cells that continuously generate new tissues and organs throughout their lifespan. Plant stem cells reside in specialized meristematic tissues such as the shoot apical meristem (SAM) that is located at the tip of the stem. Active division and differentiation of stem cells in the shoot meristem lead to the formation of all above-ground tissues, ensuring developmental plasticity in a changing environment.

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In cereals such as rice, plant height is determined by the activity of intercalary meristem, tiller number is regulated by the axillary meristem, and seeds are produced from the inflorescence meristem. Therefore, stem cell activity

directly influences agronomic traits, and investigating the dynamics of stem cells during

plant growth would provide novel strategies for the improvement of seed production

and grain quality in crops.

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We use the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem and the rice inflorescence

meristem as models to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms

underlying plant stem cell activity.

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Our research focuses on three fundamental and interconnected questions:

1) Hormonal control of stem cell maintenance and differentiation.

2) Cell wall remodeling and stem cell control.

3) Stem cell dynamics in response to environmental changes.