Plants continuously produce new organs throughout their life, and this special feature is due to the existence of stem cell-containing structures named meristems. The shoot apical meristem (SAM), located at the shoot apex, provides all the aerial parts of the plant, such as leaves, stems, or flowers. Thus, the proper function and maintenance of the SAM are crucial for building the plant architecture, and ensuring shoot growth and fruit production, which are fundamental factors to improve crop yield.
In our group, we are interested on understanding how different hormones and genetic networks regulate SAM function and the balance between stem cell proliferation and differentiation. In particular, our main objectives are: (i) to investigate whether less well characterized hormones in the context of SAM homeostasis may also play a role in its regulation, (ii) to extend our knowledge about the gene regulatory networks acting downstream of these hormones, and (iii) to study the potential cross-talk between different hormones in the SAM. To shed light in this regard, we combine meristem morphodynamics and live imaging assays, genetic analyses, hormonal or chemical treatment experiments and gene expression assays.
1. Balanzà V, Merelo P*, Ferrándiz F. 2023. Flowering also has to end: knowns and
unknowns of reproductive arrest in monocarpic plants. J Exp Bot 14: 3951–3960. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erad213
2. Merelo P*, González-Cuadra I, Ferrándiz C. 2022. A cellular analysis of meristem activity
at the end of flowering points to cytokinin as a major regulator of proliferative arrest in
Arabidopsis. Curr Biol 32: 749-762. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.069
3. Tadeo FR, Agustí J, Merelo P, Talón M. 2023. Laser Microdissection: A High-Precision
Approach to Isolate Specific Cell Types from Any Plant Species for Downstream Molecular
Analyses. Methods Mol Biol 2642: 365-373. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3044-0_19
* Co-corresponding author
Study of hormonal signalling and FRUITFULL mode of action during the proliferative arrest in Arabidopsis thaliana. Student: Irene González Cuadra. Co-directors: Cristina Ferrándiz and Paz Merelo. UPV. 2020-2024.
