🆕 📰 ‼️ #PaperCBGP! 🚀 Root development in plants requires the coordination of genetic signals and the cell cycle, especially the G1 phase, which influences growth and the response to genetic damage. While these mechanisms are well understood in these animals, they remain a mystery in plants due to the difficulty of studying the cell cycle in growing organs. 🌍 An international team led by the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CBM and CBGP has published an article in Nature Plants revealing that plant roots have an “internal clock” that governs when and how cells divide. 🧬 The researchers combined genetics, microscopy, and mathematical models to reveal how the G1 phase is regulated in root development: while at the meristem boundary it lasts only 2 hours, in stem cell descendants it exceeds 20. ⏱️ This "clock" is controlled by developmental (PLT) and cell cycle (RBR1, KRP5) genes, and its temporal gradient, absent in early stages, appears later as part of a regulated program. In mutants without this gradient, roots were more sensitive to DNA damage, showing that a prolonged G1 phase protects stem cells. 🌱These findings reveal that roots not only follow a genetic plan, but also an internal clock that coordinates growth and differentiation. Adjusting this clock, regulated by key genes, could pave the way for crops with more resilient roots that are more efficient at absorbing resources. 📎 Read the full story here: https://shorturl.at/yzTxO
