Plant-on-chip: Core morphogenesis processes in the tiny plant <i>Wolffia australiana</i>
Feng Li, Jingjing Yang, Zongyi Sun, Lei Wang, Le-Yao Qi, A Sina, Yiqun Liu, Hongmei Zhang, Lei-Fan Dang, Shujing Wang, Chunxiong Luo, Wei-Feng Nian, Seth O’Conner, Long-Zhen Ju, Weipeng Quan, Xiaokang Li, Chao Wang, Depeng Wang, Hanli You, Zhukuan Cheng, Jia Yan, Fuchou Tang, De-Chang Yang, Chu-Wei Xia, Ge Gao, Yan Wang, Baocai Zhang, Yihua Zhou, Xing Guo, Sun-Huan Xiang, Huan Liu, Tianbo Peng, Xiao‐Dong Su, Yong Chen, Qi Ouyang, Donghui Wang, Daming Zhang, Zhihong Xu, Hong‐Wei Hou, Shu‐Nong Bai, Ling Li
Abstract
Abstract A plant can be thought of as a colony comprising numerous growth buds, each developing to its own rhythm. Such lack of synchrony impedes efforts to describe core principles of plant morphogenesis, dissect the underlying mechanisms, and identify regulators. Here, we use the minimalist known angiosperm to overcome this challenge and provide a model system for plant morphogenesis. We present a detailed morphological description of the monocot Wolffia australiana, as well as high-quality genome information. Further, we developed the plant-on-chip culture system and demonstrate the application of advanced technologies such as single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, protein structure prediction, and gene editing. We provide proof-of-concept examples that illustrate how W. australiana can decipher the core regulatory mechanisms of plant morphogenesis.