From edge to organ: the role of cell geometry in plant morphogenesis.
How do organisms develop the diverse anatomical shapes observed in nature? Answering this question is pivotal for our basic understanding of multicellular organisms and the rational improvement of domesticated species. However, the underlying process of morphogenesis is highly complex: it involves integrating different kinds of information (genetic, biochemical, biomechanical, and geometric) across multiple scales in space and time. Since this complexity poses a significant challenge to traditional experimental approaches, I will adopt an interdisciplinary approach combining classic molecular biology with state-of-the-art quantitative imaging and computational modelling to study plant morphogenesis, focussing on the recently identified role of cell geometric edges.
