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Researchers have produced the most detailed map yet of how stem cells in the growing tip of a plant begin their journey to form the many cell types that shape flowers and stems. They identified 18 distinct cell type clusters in the inflorescence meristem (the stem cell niche at the tip of the flowering shoot) that generates a plant’s above-ground o…

Computational model of gene network evolution reveals hidden buffer cells are crucial for stable petal pattern developmentA collaboration between computational modellers and experimental biologists at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) has revealed how a hidden ‘boundary’ cell type spontaneously emerges during flower development, …

Sarah Robinson's research team has uncovered how the interplay between cell shape and mechanical stress influences the orientation of stomata (microscopic pores on the leaf surface) during early plant development.Stomata, from the Greek word for mouth, are essential gateways that regulate the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, as well as water …

Maritime history charity teams up with Cambridge scientists to tackle rapid wood decayA North Norfolk–based maritime charity has turned to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in a race to save some of the region’s most iconic traditional boats.Robin and Linda West, Secretary and Trustee of the charity Rescue Wooden Boats, visited the Sainsbury Labor…

A British bluebell flower (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) imaged under a digital white light microscope reveals how the flower is structured with 3 sepals and 3 petals that create the bell-shape. Zooming in, a scanning electron microscope uncovers intricate structures invisible to the naked eye, from the delicate papillae on the stigma and pollen grain…

Hiding in plain sight: Scientists uncover the ancient DNA sequences that control gene function across plant evolutionA ground-breaking study has traced thousands of conserved regulatory elements back 300 million years, revealing deep principles of plant genome evolution – a discovery that could pave the way for more precise engineering of crop trai…

Optical sections of EdU-labelled Medicago truncatula root nodule primordia 7-days post inoculation imaged under a confocal microscope. Images by Ella Greensmith.Breakthrough protocol gives scientists pinpoint control over root nodule developmentDr Katharina Schiessl’sresearch group has developed a powerful new protocol that allows scientists to tri…

How plants control fleshy and woody tissue growthScientists have identified a crucial mechanism that allows plants to shape their vascular systems, determining whether they grow soft edible storage organs or develop the rigid woody tissue characteristic of trees.Published in Science, research led by the University of Cambridge and University of Hel…

Flower to Fork: Plant Research for Tomorrow's FoodIt’s easy to forget that everything we eat starts with a plant…but how much do we really know about plant life?Take a deep dive into fundamental plant science with the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University at the Science Museum Lates on Wednesday 11 February, which is focused on the Future of Fo…

Mutualist-pathogen co-colonisation modulates phosphoinositide signatures at host intracellular interfaces: Nicotiana benthamiana plants expressing biosensors for PI4P and PI(4,5)P2. PI(4,5)P2 was tip-enriched at mutualist structures but evenly distributed around pathogen structures. PI4P was absent from pathogen extrahaustorial membranes but presen…

Graphic depicting the Plant Automatic Cell Lineage Reconstruction project. Illustration by Elise Laruelle and leaf images by Kumud Saini.Elise Laruelle and Sarah Robinson have been awarded funding from the University of Cambridge's Accelerate Programme for Scientific Discovery and the Cambridge Centre for Data-Driven Discovery (C2D3) to train a neu…

Confocal scanning laser microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, together with Raman analyses, allowed researchers to resolve different features of the plant and fungal structures in the Windyfield chert fossil of the early land plant Aglaophyton majus. Images by Raymond Wightman, taken on SLCU's SP8-FLIMan confocal.An ancient plant…

Arabidopsis thaliana leaf under mock (left) versus infection (right) 20 hours after infection: The right leaf shows salcylic acid (SA) accumulation spreading from the site of pathogen invasion. Images by Bijun Tang.New biosensor tracks plants’ immune hormone in real timeSainsbury Laboratory scientists develop tool to unlock salicylic acid’s secrets…

Explore the Wonders of Plant Science at Big Biology Day – Saturday 11 OctoberThe Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University will be bringing the fascinating world of plant science to life at this year’s Big Biology Day, held at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge on Saturday 11 October, 10am-4pm.Visitors of all ages can enjoy hands-on activit…

Axillary buds are located at the base of each leaf. Initially dormant, each can grow into a branch. To study how branching is regulated by local signalling within each bud and by systemic signalling from other buds, we used stem sections with two axillary buds and their associated leaves (left). This signalling network influences, for example, whet…