Control of oriented cell division in the Arabidopsis embryo

Multicellular plant development requires strict control of cell division orientation. A key unanswered question is how developmental regulators interact with the generic cell division machinery to trigger oriented divisions. We discuss the Arabidopsis embryo as a model for addressing this question. Recent progress in 3D imaging and computation now allows sketching of a framework for the developmental control of division orientation in which the signaling molecule auxin controls oriented division by preventing a geometrically defined default plane. We expect that the identification of auxin effectors, together with the identification of novel regulators of cell division will help to link developmental regulators to the division machinery.