Ricerc@Sapienza

In multicellular organisms, growth is defined by those processes that allow an organ to increase in mass, namely cell proliferation - that increases the number of cells - and cell expansion - that increases their volume. For an organ to achieve a functional shape and a characteristic final size both these processes need to be tightly coordinated. In roots, these processes stand behind root primary growth, which results in lengthening of the root along its longitudinal axis, and secondary growth, which results in an increase of the root thickness. In this review, we will analyze latest advances in the study of the molecular mechanisms involved in root primary growth, focusing on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, where some molecular factors and networks responsible for regulating its self-organized primary growth have been identified.