What a tangled web it weaves: auxin coordination of stem cell maintenance and flower production

Robust agricultural yields require consistent flower production throughout fluctuating environmental conditions. Floral primordia are produced in the inflorescence meristem, which contains a pool of continuously dividing stem cells. Daughter cells of these divisions either retain stem cell identity or are pushed to the SAM periphery, where they become competent to develop into floral primordia after receiving the appropriate signal. Thus, flower production is inherently linked to regulation of the stem cell pool. The plant hormone auxin promotes flower development throughout its early phases and has been shown to interact with the molecular pathways regulating stem cell maintenance. Here, we will summarize how auxin signaling contributes to stem cell maintenance and promotes flower development through the early phases of initiation, outgrowth, and floral fate establishment. Recent advances in this area suggest that auxin may serve as a signal that integrates stem cell maintenance and new flower production. A review summarizing recent findings of how auxin function regulates the molecular pathways controlling stem cell maintenance and early flower development in Arabidopsis.

Automated summary

Consistent flower production is crucial for robust agricultural yields in fluctuating environmental conditions. The plant hormone auxin plays a role in promoting flower development and interacts with molecular pathways that regulate stem cell maintenance. Recent advances suggest that auxin may integrate stem cell maintenance and new flower production.