Post-transcriptional gene regulation for flexible regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in plants

Abstract

Plant cells possess totipotency, and their flexibility in proliferation and differentiation is a driving force of plastic morphogenesis and high organ regeneration ability in plants. On the other hand, plants have evolved highly functionalized cells that completely discard their totipotency through programmed cell death, and successfully integrated such cells into their developmental programs. In this article, the latest findings on the molecular mechanisms of flexible regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation and cell fate determination in plants are reviewed, mainly from a viewpoint of posttranscriptional gene regulation such as RNA metabolism and protein modification. Also the reason why post-transcriptional gene regulation is important for the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in plants will be discussed.