ArticleeLife2018
Why plants make puzzle cells, and how their shape emerges.
Article in eLife, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
115 citing papers in PubMed, 263 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inferring cell division from cell shape.The Plant cell · 2026Article
- Growth-rate coordination across the width of a leaf preserves its flatness.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- A drought stress-induced MYB transcription factor regulates pavement cell shape in leaves of European aspen (Populus tremula).The New phytologist · 2026Article
- Progressive oxygenation of developing leaves directs morphogenesis.Science advances · 2026Article
- ROS inhibits microtubule dynamics and cell growth heterogeneity during Arabidopsis sepal morphogenesis.iScience · 2026Article
- Force-responsive symmetric cell divisions orient stomata along global tissue axes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Growth history leaves a geometric trace in puzzle cells.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Independent roles of Arp2/3 complex and RIC4 protein in the control of epidermal cell shape.Planta · 2026Article
- Spiral phyllotaxis in the moss Physcomitrium patens emerges from simple division rules of the apical cell.Current biology : CB · 2026Article
- Correlations between surface area and volume in cell size and growth in Arabidopsis thaliana.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Article
- Memory in the wall: expanding our understanding of the roles of plant cell walls.The New phytologist · 2026Review
- Developmental changes in epidermal anatomy, drought tolerance and biomechanics in the leaves of a tropical fern.Annals of botany · 2025Article
- Rho GTPase overexpression impacts leaf internal architecture and mesophyll conductance in Arabidopsis.The New phytologist · 2025Article
- Agent-based simulation of cortical microtubule band movement in arabidopsis zygotes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Anisotropic diffuse growth in Arabidopsis thaliana stigma papillae.Plant reproduction · 2025Article
- A Genome-Wide Association Screen for Genes Affecting Leaf Trichome Development and Epidermal Metal Accumulation in Arabidopsis.Plant, cell & environment · 2025Article
- Dynamic cytoskeletal regulation of cell shape supports resilience of lymphatic endothelium.Nature · 2025Article
- A PIF-regulated switch in cell axis growth drives cotyledon expansion through tissue-specific cell expansion and division.The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology · 2025Article
- Lymphatic mysteries unzipped.Nature cardiovascular research · 2025Article
55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 5 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The shape and function of plant cells are often highly interdependent. The puzzle-shaped cells that appear in the epidermis of many plants are a striking example of a complex cell shape, however their functional benefit has remained elusive. We propose that these intricate forms provide an effective strategy to reduce mechanical stress in the cell wall of the epidermis. When tissue-level growth is isotropic, we hypothesize that lobes emerge at the cellular level to prevent formation of large isodiametric cells that would bulge under the stress produced by turgor pressure. Data from various plant organs and species support the relationship between lobes and growth isotropy, which we test with mutants where growth direction is perturbed. Using simulation models we show that a mechanism actively regulating cellular stress plausibly reproduces the development of epidermal cell shape. Together, our results suggest that mechanical stress is a key driver of cell-shape morphogenesis.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.