Patterning articles from across Nature Portfolio

This study reveals a pathway in which the transformation of trifoliate leaves into pinnate-like pentafoliate leaves is regulated by the conserved regulators of floral development (MtUFO) and leaf development (MtKNOXI) in M. truncatula.

The coordination of cellular behaviors is essential for proper organogenesis. Here the authors show that fruit development in Arabidopsis is governed by time-shifted differentiation gradients that act locally along two perpendicular organ axes.

This study by Scacchi et al. shows that a mobile small-RNA-based Turing system dynamically organizes plant organ polarity. The afforded developmental flexibility accounts for diversity in organ shapes, from radialized or cup-shaped to the robust planar shape of a typical leaf.

In angiosperms, petal abscission is crucial for reproductive success and seed dispersion. However, the regulation of this abscission remains unclear. Here, the authors identify a process of petal abscission regulated by jasmonic acid via autophagy at the base of Arabidopsis petals.

Global warming threatens food security and plant survival. This paper demonstrates that Class II TCP transcription factors are critical for specifying ovule identity and inhibiting the conversion of ovules into carpelloids under high temperature.

Flowers manifest enormous diversity and shape is determined by morphogenesis along different independent axes. Here Su et al. report a shared BOP-ALOG module that regulates corolla differentiation in the proximal region axis.

In Arabidopsis, the final size of the seed is determined early on during its development by the growth of a single multinucleate cell, the coenocytic endosperm. The endosperm arises from a second fertilization event, alongside the embryo, and dominates the onset of seed development while later nourishing and supporting embryo growth.

In the phloem of vascular plants, distinct cell types are arranged in precise positions to ensure effective loading, transport and unloading of photosynthates and signalling molecules. Feedback between transcription factors and mobile peptides triggers and controls the differentiation of phloem at the growing root tip.

Angiosperm evolution involves a major transition from spiral to whorled arrangements of floral organs. Examination of the genetic programs specifying floral organ identity in Nigella damascene, a species of Ranunculaceae with spiral flowers, illuminates the molecular basis of how spiral flowers can have flexible numbers of floral organs.