Surfing along the root ground tissue gene network

► Cortex, middle cortex and endodermis form the ground tissue (GT) in A. thaliana root. ► GT is an elegant model to study cell fate in plant. ► Mutants affected in GT formation reveal a complex gene network. ► Interplay between transcription factors, hormonal and epigenetic pathways control GT formation. ► Future trends will be to understand how modifications in this model explain variation in cell type and cell layer number in other angiosperms.