Title: Modeling Lobe Formation in the Developing Plant Epidermis

Author (Table Talk): Sam Banks, Yale University

Abstract:

Specialized cell geometries in the plant epidermis optimize important biochemical and mechanical functions. For example, epidermal pavement cells, which help maintain the mechanical stability of leaves and petals, develop from convex, smooth-polygonal cells to highly lobed puzzle-piece cells. Despite being observed across species, the emergence of lobed cells has not been fully explained. We propose a novel computational model for the plant epidermis that reproduces the observed tissue structure during development. As the cell wall grows, it begins to buckle and wrinkle, leading to the characteristic lobed geometry. We quantify the cell shape and epidermal tissue structure as a function of cell mechanical parameters and growth rates. These metrics are used to validate our simulation results against high resolution light microscopy images of the epidermis.