Analysis of multi-scale biomechanical design principles of plant tissues and developmental processes

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The evolution of multi-cellular organisms implicates the division of labour between different cell types that assume highly specific metabolic and structural functions. The genesis of these differentiated cells from stem cells occurs through coordinated cell growth and shaping which in plants involves assembly of new cell wall materiala stiff polysaccharide polymer enveloping all plant cells. The mechanical properties of the plant cell wall determine the geometry of the differentiating cell and, by consequence, the architecture of the entire tissue and organ. Much attention has been devoted to the molecular players involved in plant cell development. However, we have a poor understanding of the mechanical principles that govern the generation of complex cell geometries such as those of the spongy leaf mesophyll or star-shaped trichomes. Even more elusive are the underpinnings of the genesis of entire tissues that require coordinated cell shaping and strategic cell-cell detachment. Importantly, tissue structure has to reconcile the requirements for metabolic functioning with the architectural features necessary for mechanical stability of the organ.The proposed research program combines cell biological approaches with micromechanical engineering and computational modeling with the aim to study cell and tissue differentiation in plants at multiple scales. Specifically, we will study the subcellular assembly of cell wall material, the regulation of cell growth by the cell wall, and the differentiation of tissues through cell shaping and local cell detachment. This approach will answer how development occurs and it will be complemented by mechanical testing to assess why certain tissue architectures are beneficial for plant survival. We will use micro-mechanical testing in combination with microscopic monitoring to examine how plant tissues behave under mechanical stress. Biophysical cellular parameters and high-resolution structural data will inform theoretical simulation models built using finite element methods. Predictions made by these models will guide subsequent experimental strategy designed to validate the conceptual underpinnings of plant development. This research program is highly interdisciplinary as it combines various cell biological approaches (molecular biology, high end confocal laser scanning microscopy, live cell imaging) with micromechanical engineering and computational modeling and it offers opportunities for graduate students from multiple disciplines: biology and mathematics/engineering.