Control of cell proliferation during plant development

Knowledge of the control of cell division in eukaryotes has increased tremendously in recent years. The isolation and characterization of the major players from a number of systems and the study of their interactions have led to a comprehensive understanding of how the different components of the cell cycle apparatus are brought together and assembled in a fine-tuned machinery. Many parts of this machine are highly conserved in organisms as evolutionary distant as yeast and animals. Some key regulators of cell division have also been identified in higher plants and have been shown to be functional homologues of the yeast or animal proteins. Although still in its early days, investigations into the regulation of these molecules have provided some clues on how cell division is coupled to plant development.