What determines organ size differences between species? A meta-analysis of the cellular basis

What is it about?

Plant species grow at vastly different rates and form organs of an enormous variety of sizes. By a meta-analysis of published studies, we show for the first time that the common cellular mechanism underlying these differences is the number of dividing cells that are present during the growth process.

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Why is it important?

The cellular level provides a crucial link between molecular regulatory mechanisms and whole plant growth responses. The spatial and temporal regulation of only two processes, cell division and cell expansion, provides the basis for all differences in growth observed at the organ level, but only few studies (particularly using kinematic analyses) provide a complete overview of all parameters. We performed a meta analysis of all publications using this analysis to address the question what is the cellular basis for the vast differences in organ size between species. Knowing the transition between proliferation and expansion is the key parameter provides a basis for more detailed molecular, genetic and physiological studies to understand organ growth regulation.

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