Alonso Baez, L. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Transgenerational polarity axis inheritance during Ceratopteris embryogenesis

For sexually reproducing organisms to pass on their genetic information, progeny must successfully establish. Various life history strategies have evolved, using either dispersal of large numbers of progeny or intensive nurturing of a few. Most plants use the former strategy, but ferns generate a single embryo in the exact same location as the mother, and it is unknown how progeny success is promoted, or how embryogenesis is adapted. By studying Ceratopteris richardii embryogenesis, we find that maternal tissues guide orientation of the early embryo body axis, thus aligning its root pole towards the homologous maternal rhizoids. We find that axis polarity inheritance is mediated by maternal tissue mechanical patterns, and thus identify a robust mechanism for progeny establishment as a nurturing strategy in plants.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

The mechanical properties of Arabidopsis thaliana roots adapt dynamically during development and to stress

Mechanical properties of plant cells and tissues change dynamically, influencing plant growth, development, and interactions with the environment. Despite their central roles in plant life, current knowledge of how these properties change in vivo is very limited. Here we have combined Brillouin microscopy and molecular rotors to investigate stiffness, viscosity and porosity in living Arabidopsis thaliana seedling roots during differentiation and in response to stress and genetic manipulation. We found that mechanical properties change in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. The properties change dynamically during differentiation to support directional cell expansion. Cell-type-specific adaptations are induced within hours in response to stress or changes in cell wall metabolism. The findings form the foundation for future studies to characterize regulatory mechanisms linking biochemical signaling and mechanical properties.

plant biology↗