A greenprint for growth: signalling the pattern of proliferation

The shoot and root apical meristems (SAM and RAM, respectively) of plants serve both as sites of cell division and as stem cell niches. The SAM is also responsible for the initiation of new leaves, whereas the analogous process of lateral root initiation occurs in the pericycle, a specialized layer of cells that retains organogenic potential within an otherwise non-dividing region of the root. A picture is emerging of how cell division, growth, and differentiation are coordinated in the meristems and lateral organ primordia of plants. This is starting to reveal striking parallels between the control of stem cell maintenance in both shoots and roots, and to provide information on how signalling from developmental processes and the environment impact on cell behaviour within meristems.