Improving understanding of developing plant organs and plant architecture

In this theme we are developing a better understanding of how individual plant cells respond to the genetic instructions that they receive and how these cells then develop to create specific plant organs such as leaves, roots, flowers, fruit and seeds.

We are integrating findings on plant hormones and other signalling mechanisms to understand how these influence plant growth through the division and elongation of cells.

Within this research theme we are developing computational models to shape and test our understanding of plant architecture and organ development.

This research is identifying useful variations of genes which control organ shape and structure, information which can be used in developing future crop plants to improve yield.

Selected publications from ‘Improving understanding of developing plant organs and plant architecture’

• How can developmental biology help feed a growing population? – Boden and Østergaard 2019
• Auxin minimum triggers the developmental switch from cell division to cell differentiation in the Arabidopsis root – Di Mambro et al. 2017
• Fruit development and diversification – Dong and Østergaard 2019
• Regulatory Diversification of INDEHISCENT in the Capsella Genus Directs Variation in Fruit Morphology – Dong et al. 2019
• Trait analysis reveals DOG1 determines initial depth of seed dormancy, but not changes during dormancy cycling that result in seedling emergence timing – Footitt et al. 2019
• Spatiotemporal coordination of cell division and growth during organ morphogenesis – Fox et al. 2018
• Two Auxin Response Elements Fine-Tune PINOID Expression During Gynoecium Development in Arabidopsis thaliana – Kuhn et al. 2019
• Systems biology approach pinpoints minimum requirements for auxin distribution during fruit opening – Li et al. 2019
• Ectopic BASL Reveals Tissue Cell Polarity throughout Leaf Development in Arabidopsis thaliana – Mansfield et al. 2018
• Morphometrics of complex cell shapes: Lobe Contribution Elliptic Fourier Analysis (LOCO-EFA) – Sanchez Corrales et al. 2018
• DELLA genes restrict inflorescence meristem function independently of plant height – Serrano-Mislata et al. 2017
• Female reproductive organ formation: A multitasking endeavour – Simoninin and Østergaard 2019
• The power of model-to-crop translation illustrated by reducing seed loss from pod shatter in oilseed rape – Stephenson et al. 2019