Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms underlying cell shape acquisition is of fundamental importance in plant science, as this process ultimately defines the structure and function of plant organs. Plants produce cells of diverse shapes and sizes, including pavement cells and stomata of leaves, elongated epidermal cells of the hypocotyl, and cells with outgrowths such as root hairs, and so forth. Plant cells experience mechanical forces of variable magnitude during their development and interaction with neighboring cells and the surrounding environment. From the time of cytokinesis, they are encaged in a complex cell wall matrix, which offers mechanical support and enables directional growth and a differential rate of expansion towards adjacent cells via its mechanochemical heterogeneity. The phytohormone auxin is well characterized for its role in cell expansion and cell elasticity. The interaction between dynamic auxin redistribution and the mechanical properties of the cell wall within tissues drives the development of specific cell shapes. Here, we focus on the regulatory feedback loop involving auxin activity, its influence on cell wall chemistry and mechanical properties, and the coordination of cell shape formation. Integrating insights from molecular and cell biology, biophysics, and computational modeling, we explore the mechanistic link between auxin signaling and cell wall dynamics in shaping plant cells.

Keywords

auxin; cell shape; cell wall; cytoskeleton; mechanical stress

Published in

Physiologia Plantarum
2025, volume: 177, number: 3, article number: e70294
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Botany
Cell Biology

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ppl.70294

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/142104