Live-imaging stem-cell homeostasis in the Arabidopsis shoot apex

A precise spatio-temporal regulation of growth and differentiation is crucial to maintain a stable population of stem cells in the shoot apical meristems (SAMs) of higher plants. The real-time and simultaneous observations of dynamics of cell identity transitions, growth patterns, and signaling machinery involved in cell–cell communication is crucial to gain a mechanistic view of stem-cell homeostasis. In this article, I review recent advances in understanding the regulatory dynamics of stem-cell maintenance in Arabidopsis thaliana and discuss future challenges involved in transforming the static maps of genetic interactions into a dynamic framework representing functional molecular and cellular interactions in living SAMs.