The actin cytoskeleton is required to maintain plant cell division orientation against cellular geometry

In multicellular organisms, cell division shapes tissue architecture, cell identity, and function. In walled organisms like plants, division plane orientation irreversibly defines tissue topology and is tightly regulated. While divisions often follow the shortest path enclosing cell volume, certain cells deviate, dividing perpendicular to the growth axis. Tissue-scale mechanical stress has been proposed to guide such orientation, but how these cues are integrated remains unclear. Here, we reexamine the role of the actin cytoskeleton in orienting cell division in <i>Arabidopsis</i> root epidermis. Combining cell biology, genetics, pharmacological treatments, 3D segmentation, and modeling, we show that actin is a central molecular actor required to establish cell division orientation against the geometrical rules, highlighting its role in integrating spatial information.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science Advances
Published
2026-02-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb8498
Primary Topic
Plant Molecular Biology Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

The actin cytoskeleton is required to maintain plant cell division orientation against cellular geometry

Marie‐Cécile Caillaud, Guillaume Cerutti, Camila Goldy, Yohann Boutté et al.
Science Advances
Plant Molecular Biology Research
article

The actin cytoskeleton is required to maintain plant cell division orientation against cellular geometry

Marie‐Cécile Caillaud, Guillaume Cerutti, Camila Goldy, Yohann Boutté, Yutaro Shimizu, Martine Pastuglia, David Bouchez, Magali Grison, Sibyle Moulin, Vincent Bayle
article en

Abstract

In multicellular organisms, cell division shapes tissue architecture, cell identity, and function. In walled organisms like plants, division plane orientation irreversibly defines tissue topology and is tightly regulated. While divisions often follow the shortest path enclosing cell volume, certain cells deviate, dividing perpendicular to the growth axis. Tissue-scale mechanical stress has been proposed to guide such orientation, but how these cues are integrated remains unclear. Here, we reexamine the role of the actin cytoskeleton in orienting cell division in <i>Arabidopsis</i> root epidermis. Combining cell biology, genetics, pharmacological treatments, 3D segmentation, and modeling, we show that actin is a central molecular actor required to establish cell division orientation against the geometrical rules, highlighting its role in integrating spatial information.

Science AdvancesVol. 12(8)
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (FR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université de Bordeaux (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (FR), Laboratoire de Biogenèse Membranaire (FR), Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes (FR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 51%
Plant Molecular Biology Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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