Regulation of shape and patterning in plant development

Abstract

Plant and animal development depend on both biochemical and biophysical responses. In certain contexts biochemical networks and gradients seem to be sufficient to explain patterning. However the translation of such patterns into shape changes also involves mechanical properties, which, in plants, largely depend on the characteristics of the structural elements, in particular the external matrix or cell wall. More generally, there is a number of emerging links between gene regulatory networks, biochemical gradients, and physical forces, involving multiple feedback loops. It is likely that combining mechanical signals and biochemical gradients could confer more robustness to plant development.