The molecular regulation of cell pluripotency in plants

Abstract

Plants have a remarkably regenerative capability to replace the damaged organs or form the new organs and individuals both in vivo and in vitro, which is fundamental for their developmental plasticity and the agricultural practices. The regenerative capacities of plants are highly dependent on the totipotency or pluripotency of somatic cells, whose fates are directed by phytohormones, wounding, and other stimuli. Recent studies have revealed that the two types of cellular reprogramming are involved in the acquisition of cell pluripotency during plant in vitro and in vivo regeneration programs. This review focuses on the recent advances of the cellular origin, molecular characteristic, and genetic and epigenetic regulations of cell pluripotency acquisition in plants, highlighting the molecular frameworks of cellular reprogramming activated by diverse stimuli and their possible potentials in regeneration-based plant biotechnologies.