2021 Volume 33 Issue 1 Pages 89-94
The cells that comprise the outermost leaf epidermal tissue layer differentiate from the protodermal cells and acquire characteristic functions and morphogenetic features. Pairs of guard cells form small holes called stomata, and the adjacent jigsaw puzzle piece-shaped pavement cells interlock. These two different cell types cooperate to produce stomatal movement, and the macroscopic functions necessary for plant growth, such as gas exchange and transpiration, are acquired. The cell spatial organization in tissues is important for intercellular coordination, and in Arabidopsis thaliana, the pavement cell distribution does not allow adjacent stomata formation. Spatial organization is also important inside cells. For the acquisition of macroscopic functions, such as cell differentiation and maturation, the proper distribution and coordination among different organelles are necessary. In pavement cells, the localization of cortical microtubules and membrane trafficking, which are related to cell morphogenetic mechanisms, were observed. Thus, leaf epidermal tissues are very suitable for studying how spatial organization of organelle or cells contribute to the acquisition of macroscopic functions in higher layers such as cells or tissues. Here, I introduce microscopic observations, and the accompanying image analyses, of cell morphogenesis and distributions in the leaf epidermal tissue of A. thaliana.
