Spatio-temporal specificity of cambium stem cell signaling (B12)

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Radial growth of plant shoots and roots is essential for the formation of wood and of large plant bod-ies, and thus for the creation of biomass. This process depends on the tissue forming properties of a group of stem cells called the cambium, which produce secondary vascular tissue (wood and bast). We will now leverage the unique features of the cambium to establish general principles of stem cell niche organization in plants and beyond. To this end, we will test the hypothesis that a spatio-temporal modulation of signaling through the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) within the cambium domain is essential for an organized production of tissues during radial plant growth. In close collaboration with project B01, we will in particular investigate the role of the stem cell-specific homeobox transcription factors WOX4 and WUS in promoting SL signaling as one essential feature of plant stem cell systems.