Plant Cell Cycle Regulation

Dear Colleagues,

Plants grow continuously throughout their life cycle. Their growth, development and reproduction are the result of processes operating at the cellular scale, namely the production of new cells through the processes of cell division, together with cell growth, and the differentiation of cells to generate the specialised cell types that comprise tissues and organs. The frequency and orientation of cell divisions in tissue development and organ growth underpin morphogenesis, ranging from embryogenesis to flower development and seed formation. Moreover, cell division is essential for the secondary growth that allows trees to become the largest biological structures of the terrestrial ecosystem. Cell division and its control are thus central to understanding most aspects of plant development.

These cellular processes of mitosis, meiosis and endocycles are driven by sophisticated and robust molecular mechanisms, with the action of cyclin-dependent kinases at their core. These regulatory mechanisms include damage response controls, particularly important because the longevity of certain species imposes challenges for genome integrity. Moreover, the sessile lifestyle of plants requires plasticity in growth to respond to changes in the environment. Self-organisation and cell division also enable regeneration upon tissue damage and the generation of niches for symbionts or parasites. All these interactions can only be achieved by a close interaction between the core cell cycle machinery and morphogenic pathways, including hormonal signalling pathways and cell type specific transcriptional regulators.

This Special Issue aims to present the current understanding of the control, role and relevance of all aspects of plant cell division and cell cycle control. We welcome submissions which present new insights into any aspect of cell division or cell cycle regulation in plants, based either on the review of recent advances or on original research. In addition, manuscripts presenting new technologies for the study of cell division in plants will be considered.

Prof. James Murray
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Cell cycle
• Morphogenesis
• Plasticity
• Differentiation
• Plant–microbe interactions
• Environmental response
• Regeneration
• DNA Damage