EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO ARABIDOPSIS EMBRYOGENESIS

The Arabidopsis embryo represents a simple cellular pattern comprised of few basic tissues and prototypes of leaf- and root-like organs. The se structures are generated in a series of highly reproducible stages that imply tight control of orientation and frequency of cell division as well as cell morphology and differentiation. Additional temporal c ontrol mechanisms are reflected in the succession of developmental pro grams that control deposition of storage materials and prepare the emb ryo for desiccation and dormancy. Arabidopsis embryogenesis has been s tudied in detail and these analyses have been refined by the use of mo lecular markers to trace embryonic structures. Embryo defective mutant s and new techniques to study embryos in culture have enabled function al analyses that eventually provide the perspective for understanding plant embryo development at the molecular level. (C) Elsevier, Paris.