Plant Cell and Developmental Biology

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Plant Cell and Developmental Biology

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Research Clusters

Multicellular organisms require precise coordination of cell division and differentiation to ensure organized development. Plants have evolved a unique structure called the meristem, which consists of a pool of stem cells that divide and renew themselves continuously. The shoot apical meristem, which is formed during embryogenesis, plays a central role in generating postembryonic shoot organs such as leaves, stems and flowers. Focusing on key regulatory genes, we study how the shoot apical meristem is formed and maintained during the plant life cycle, and how the activities of these regulatory genes affect tissue morphology and behaviors.

On the other hand, plants sometimes produce gall-like structures induced by a number of other organisms, such as the root nodules induced by Rhizobium, and the galls induced by plant parasitic nematodes or insects. Parasites and symbiotes induce different types of plant responses, and sometimes they hijack the plant’s endogenous signaling pathways for their own purposes. For example, plant parasitic nematodes utilize root formation-related signaling pathways to induce cell division and form gall from pre-vascular cells to survive in plant roots. Furthermore, cell wall compositions are often modified in response to such developmental reprogramming during these biotic interactions.

In this Research Unit, Plant Cell and Developmental Biology, we characterize the molecular and physical mechanisms that contribute to plant development and plant–parasitic nematodes interactions using genetic, biochemical, physiological approaches. From a technical point of view, image analyses can be quite useful to mine valuable information from high-dimensional microscopic images. As such, we are also currently developing original image analysis tools tailored for experimental plant cell and developmental biologists.

Cluster members

Coordinator

Shinichiro SAWA Website

Professor
Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University

Japan
Carolina ESCOBAR Website

Professor
Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry, University of Castilla La Mancha

Spain
Bruno FAVERY Website

INRAE Senior Scientist
CNRS Institut Sophia Agrobiotech
＊IROAST Visiting Professor

France
Mitsuhiro AIDA Website

Professor
Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology (FAST), Kumamoto University

Japan
Takumi HIGAKI Website

Professor
Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology (FAST), Kumamoto University

Japan
Yuki YOSHIDA

Project Assistant Professor
Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University

Japan
Hidehiko SUNOHARA

Environmental Control Center Co.,Ltd.
＊Visiting Assistant Professor, Kumamoto University

Japan
Reira SUZUKI

Visiting Assistant Porfessor, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Kumamoto University

Japan

Achievement

Publications

in press

Multiple layers of regulators emerge in the network controlling lateral root organogenesis

Beckers, A., Mamiya, A., Furutani, M., Bennett, M., Fukaki H., Sawa, S., Laplaze, L., and Guyomarc’h, S

Trends in Plant Science.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2024.09.018

2024

TCA cycle impairment leads to PIN2 internalization and degradation via reduced MAB4 level and ARA6 components in Arabidopsis roots

Song, X., Ohyabashi, I., Song, S., Wang, Y., Lu, M., Liu, Y., Sawa, S., and Furutani, M

Frontiers in Plant Science. 15. 1462235 (2024)

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1462235
CLE peptide signaling in plant-microbe interactions

Nakagami, S., Kajiwara, T., Tsuda, K., and Sawa, S.

Frontiers in Plant Sci. 15, 1481650 (2024)

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1481650

*Supported by "IROAST Publication Support Programs FY2024"
Evolution of secondary metabolites, morphological structures and associated gene expression patterns in galls induced by four closely related aphid species on a host plant species

Mizuki, M., Kaneko, Y., Suyama, Y., Hirota, S., Sawa, S., Kubo, M., Yamawo, A., Sawabe, M., and Ikeda, H.

Molecular Ecology. 33(16). e17466 (2024)

https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17466
VND genes redundantly regulate cell wall thickening during parasitic nematode infection

Gushino, S., Tsai, Y-L., Ohtani, M., Demura, T., and Sawa, S.

Plant Cell Physiol. 65(8). 1224-1230

https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcae048
The overlooked manipulation of nucleolar functions by plant pathogen effectors

Sarah Ranty-Roby, Frédéric Pontvianne, Michaël Quentin, Bruno Favery

Front. Plant Sci., 15 (2024), 1445097

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1445097

2023

Genome size determination and chromosome characterization of Limosella aquatica L. (Scrophulariaceae) in Japan: Insights into Japanese population

Takahiro Katogi, Yuki Yoshida, Kaito Nakayama, Yoshikazu Hoshi, Shinichiro Sawa

Cytologia 2023, 88, 4, 339-346

https://doi.org/10.1508/cytologia.88.339
Root-knot nematode modulates plant CLE3-CLV1 signaling as a long-distance signal for successful infection

Satoru Nakagami, Michitaka Notaguchi, Tatsuhiko Kondo, Satoru Okamoto, Takanori Ida, Yoshikatsu Sato, Tetsuya Higashiyama, Allen Yi-Lun Tsai, Takashi Ishida, and Shinichiro Sawa

Science Advances, 9, 22, 2023

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf4803

*The results of this research were sent out to the media as a press release on May 31, 2023, and the press ban was lifted on June 3, 2023.
*Supported by "IROAST Publication Support Programs FY2023"
CLE3 and its homologs share overlapping functions in the modulation of lateral root formation through CLV1 and BAM1 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Satoru Nakagami, Tsuyoshi Aoyama, Yoshikatsu Sato, Taiki Kajiwara, Takashi Ishida, Shinichiro Sawa

The Plant Journal, 113,6, 1176-1191

https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16103

*The results of this research was sent out to the media as a press release on February 27, 2023.
*Added volume number on 24 March, 2023.

2022