Desert plants have developed mechanisms for adapting to hostile desert conditions, yet these mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we describe two unique modes used by desert date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) to protect their meristematic tissues during early organogenesis. We used x-ray micro-computed tomography combined with high-resolution tissue imaging to reveal that, after germination, development of the embryo pauses while it remains inside a dividing and growing cotyledonary petiole. Transcriptomic and hormone analyses show that this developmental arrest is associated with the low expression of development-related genes and accumulation of hormones that promote dormancy and confer resistance to stress. Furthermore, organ-specific cell-type mapping demonstrates that organogenesis occurs inside the cotyledonary petiole, with identifiable root and shoot meristems and their respective stem cells. The plant body emerges from the surrounding tissues with developed leaves and a complex root system that maximizes efficient nutrient and water uptake. We further show that, similar to its role in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the SHORT-ROOT homolog from date palms functions in maintaining stem cell activity and promoting formative divisions in the root ground tissue. Our findings provide insight into developmental programs that confer adaptive advantages in desert plants that thrive in hostile habitats.

In plants, the best characterized plant regeneration process is de novo organogenesis. This type of regeneration is characterized by the formation of a multicellular structure called callus. Calli are induced via phytohormone treatment of plant sections. The callus formation in plants like Agave species with Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is poorly studied. In this study, we induced callus formation from Agave salmiana leaves and describe cell arrangement in this tissue. Moreover, we determined and analyzed the transcriptional program of calli, as well as those of differentiated root and leaf tissues, by using RNA-seq. We were able to reconstruct 170,844 transcripts of which 40,644 have a full Open Reading Frame (ORF). The global profile obtained by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) reveals that several callus-enriched protein coding transcripts are orthologs of previously reported factors highly expressed in Arabidopsis calli. At least 62 genes were differentially expressed in Agave calli, 50 of which were up-regulated. Several of these are actively involved in the perception of, and response to, auxin and cytokinin. Not only are these the first results for the A. salmiana callus, but they provide novel data from roots and leaves of this Agave species, one of the largest non-tree plants in nature.

Ferns are a representative clade in plant evolution although underestimated in the genomic era. Ceratopteris richardii is an emergent model for developmental processes in ferns, yet a complete scheme of the different growth stages is necessary. Here, we present a developmental analysis, at the tissue and cellular levels, of the first shoot-borne root of Ceratopteris. We followed early stages and emergence of the root meristem in sporelings. While assessing root growth, the first shoot-borne root ceases its elongation between the emergence of the fifth and sixth roots, suggesting Ceratopteris roots follow a determinate developmental program. We report cell division frequencies in the stem cell niche after detecting labeled nuclei in the root apical cell (RAC) and derivatives after 8 h of exposure. These results demonstrate the RAC has a continuous mitotic activity during root development. Detection of cell cycle activity in the RAC at early times suggests this cell acts as a non-quiescent organizing center. Overall, our results provide a framework to study root function and development in ferns and to better understand the evolutionary history of this organ.

Grass inflorescences support floral structures that each bear a single grain, where variation in branch architecture directly impacts yield. The maize (Zea mays) RAMOSA1 (ZmRA1) transcription factor acts as a key regulator of inflorescence development by imposing branch meristem determinacy. Here, we show RA1 transcripts accumulate in boundary domains adjacent to spikelet meristems in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, Sb) and green millet (Setaria viridis, Sv) inflorescences similar as in the developing maize tassel and ear. To evaluate functional conservation of syntenic RA1 orthologs and promoter cis sequences in maize, sorghum and setaria, we utilized interspecies gene transfer and assayed genetic complementation in a common inbred background by quantifying recovery of normal branching in highly ramified ra1-R mutants. A ZmRA1 transgene that includes endogenous upstream and downstream flanking sequences recovered normal tassel and ear branching in ra1-R. Interspecies expression of two transgene variants of the SbRA1 locus, modeled as the entire endogenous tandem duplication or just the non-frameshifted downstream copy, complemented ra1-R branching defects and induced unusual fasciation and branch patterns. The SvRA1 locus lacks conserved, upstream noncoding cis sequences found in maize and sorghum; interspecies expression of an SvRA1 transgene did not or only partially recovered normal inflorescence forms. Driving expression of the SvRA1 coding region by the ZmRA1 upstream region, however, recovered normal inflorescence morphology in ra1-R. These data leveraging interspecies gene transfer suggest that cis-encoded temporal regulation of RA1 expression is a key factor in modulating branch meristem determinacy that ultimately impacts grass inflorescence architecture.

Our concept of cell reprogramming and cell plasticity has evolved since John Gurdon transferred the nucleus of a completely differentiated cell into an enucleated Xenopus laevis egg, thereby generating embryos that developed into tadpoles. More recently, induced expression of transcription factors, oct4, sox2, klf4, and c-myc has evidenced the plasticity of the genome to change the expression program and cell phenotype by driving differentiated cells to the pluripotent state. Beyond these milestone achievements, research in artificial cell reprogramming has been focused on other molecules that are different than transcription factors. Among the candidate molecules, microRNAs (miRNAs) stand out due to their potential to control the levels of proteins that are involved in cellular processes such as self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation. Here, we review the role of miRNAs in the maintenance and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, epimorphic regeneration, and somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells.