Genes and signalling in root development

The plant root plays a range of roles, such as in the acquisition of water and nutrients, the provision of structural support and as the site of interactions with mycorrhizae, nitrogen fixing organisms (in certain taxa) and diverse pests and pathogens. It also provides an important experimental system to study different aspects of plant organogenesis, including the regulation of pattern formation, cell division, intercellular signalling and cell differentiation. With the completion of the Arabidopsis sequencing programme, and the availability of very large collections of Arabidopsis mutants, it is feasible rapidly to gain new information on the control of each of these aspects of root development. Drawing principally from experimental work using this model organism, which has proved extremely amenable to genetic and physiological analysis, we aim to bring together recent advances in knowledge and understanding of the molecular basis of root organogenesis, from origins in embryogenesis to postgermination architecture.