Getting to the root of stem cell control
In all living things, DNA that is not actively needed is packaged and bundled together with proteins and other molecules into a substance known as chromatin. Chromatin controls the fate of differentiating stem cells in animals, but it is not clear whether this occurs in plants too. The EU-funded 'Chromatin dynamics of stem cells and lineage commitment in plant development' (CHROMORPHO) project investigated this by developing a model system to study chromatin during stem cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Much of the work of CHROMORPHO focused on establishing this high-throughput model system. The method used fluorescence to sort different types of cells, and advanced biochemical techniques to study which chromatin proteins were associated with each cell type. Researchers put the system into practice to study specific proteins involved with differentiating stem cells. They have identified one group of proteins, the polycomb system, which is required for stem cells to remain undifferentiated. The method advanced in CHROMORPHO will yield a huge amount of data about chromatin in plant stem cells. Knowledge gained in this way will provide plant breeders with new ways to optimise and improve future crops.
