2017 Volume 29 Issue 1 Pages 23-26
The basic body plan of an organism develops from a unicellular zygote. In most plants, the zygote divides asymmetrically, generating two daughter cells of different fates: the small apical daughter will form the aerial organs of the plant, whereas the large basal cell will produce the below-ground root. Therefore zygote polarization would be crucial to establish the shoot-root (apical-basal) axis of mature plant. Despite the obvious importance, how dynamically the zygote polarizes has long been obscure. In this review, I introduce the recent findings of the zygote polarization dynamics, which were obtained by using live-cell imaging of Arabidopsis thaliana. By combining image analysis and specific inhibitors, this live-cell imaging system enabled to quantify the zygotic features and to identify the driving force of zygote polarization. Here I introduce these findings to consider how we can reveal the mechanisms of plant body axis formation.
