Understanding plant development using single-cell laser ablation
Single-cell laser ablation is a precision microsurgery tool that enables reproducible, spatiotemporally controlled cell removal while maintaining intact tissue viability.
Loss of a single cell can rapidly rewire positional information, reshaping hormone gradients, mechanical stresses, signaling pathways, and gene expression in neighboring cells.
Shoot and root patterning are driven by mechano–auxin coupling, wherein stress-guided microtubules and PINFORMED polarity redirect auxin to sustain organogenesis and restore stem-cell niches.
Damage alone can trigger immune programs, launching calcium waves, reactive oxygen species, ethylene/ jasmonic acid signaling, and localized defenses that limit pathogen ingress.
https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/fulltext/S1360-1385(26)00132-9
