Laboratories and faculty

Major Research Topics

Mechanisms of tissue repair and grafting

Plants develop callus upon injury to heal wound sites, yet regulatory mechanisms of callus formation and tissue repair remain elusive. We recently identified WUSCHEL RELATED HOMEOBOX 13 (WOX13) as a key regulator of callus formation and organ adhesion in Arabidopsis thaliana (Ikeuchi et al., 2022, Fig. 1). Strikingly, wox13 mutant is totally deficient in organ reconnection in petiole grafting system, suggesting that WOX13 is pivotal for the establishment of organ reconnection. In addition to our continued efforts to uncover molecular genetic regulation on tissue repair, we also pursue cell biological aspects of organ re-connection.

Developmental mechanisms underlying shoot regeneration

De novo organogenesis is a mode of regenerative response which is characteristic to plants. In tissue culture-based de novo shoot formation, preculture of tissue explants on auxin-rich media provokes pluripotent callus formation, which is followed by the induction of shoot apical meristem (SAM) formation on cytokinin-rich media (Fig. 2). However, regulatory mechanisms of cellular reprogramming and self-organization of multicellular system during SAM formation remain largely elusive. We have identified transcription factors and epigenetic regulators that regulate these processes. Furthermore, we have identified novel mutants through forward-genetic screening. We combine these molecular genetic approaches with cutting edge imaging and single cell transcriptome analyses to reveal developmental mechanisms of de novo SAM establishment.