Defining the Plant Germ Line--Nature or Nurture?

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  • Author(s): Whipple, Clinton
  • Source:
    Science. 7/20/2012, Vol. 337 Issue 6092, p301-302. 2p.
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      CORN genetics; GERM cells; CELL physiology; OXIDATION-reduction potential; PLANT development; CELL lines; EFFECT of environment on plants
    • Abstract:
      The article discusses a report by researchers T. Kelliher and V. Walbot within the issue that provides evidence for a connection between modulation of cellular oxidation-reduction (redox) state and developmental decisions in plants. The team investigated whether the fate of cells in plants is determined by lineage or their environment. Topics include a brief overview of how the animal germ line is established, results showing that the germline cell identity in maize (corn) is specified by cellular redox potential influenced by the environment, and not by cell lineage, as previously thought, and a diagram illustrating the establishment of the germline in corn.