# A Molecular Genetic Analysis of Root Morphogenesis

> **NIH NIH R35** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $304,143

## Abstract

A central question in developmental biology is, “How do cells progress from pluripotent
stem cells to fully differentiated tissues.” Stem cells divide asymmetrically to give
daughters that are launched on different trajectories. On each trajectory, cells pass
through different states as they progress toward end-stage differentiation. There are
surprisingly few cases in which this whole process has been mapped out and there are
no cases in which the regulation of the entire process is understood. Answers to this
question lie at the heart of regenerative medicine and treatment of developmental
disorders. We address this question using the root of Arabidopsis as a tractable model.
Comparing and contrasting pathways to differentiation in animals and plants allows us
to understand their underlying logic, as these evolved completely independently. Our
work has identified the core molecular network required for the division and
differentiation of one stem cell population. Mathematical modeling of this network
generated hypotheses as to how it functions. We are now experimentally testing those
hypotheses as well as imaging network dynamics in real time. We have also identified
key regulators of differentiation in this lineage. Ectopic expression of these regulators
provided insights into the stability of cell fate and the requirements for acquiring cell
fate. Our progress in characterizing the path from stem cell to differentiated tissue in the
root will allow us to address fundamental questions including, “How are formative
asymmetric cell divisions regulated?” and “What controls differentiation?” To address
these questions, we will use real time imaging with light sheet microscopy during
asymmetric cell divisions and single-cell genome-wide expression analysis during the
acquisition of cell fate. To fully understand the network motifs controlling these
processes we will reengineer them using synthetic components. Observing network
dynamics in a multicellular organism is a unique approach and has the potential to
inform basic questions regarding network function in other biological processes.
Generating synthetic network motifs coupled with mathematical modeling will provide
key insights into the logic of regulatory networks that control development as well as
into disease processes that disrupt them.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10380600
- **Project number:** 5R35GM131725-04
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Philip N Benfey
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $304,143
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10380600

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10380600, A Molecular Genetic Analysis of Root Morphogenesis (5R35GM131725-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10380600. Licensed CC0.

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