Cell cycle regulation is of pivotal importance for plant growth and development. Although plant cell division shares basic mechanisms with all eukaryotes, plants have evolved novel molecules orchestrating the cell cycle. Some regulatory proteins, such as cyclins and inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases, are particularly numerous in plants, possibly reflecting the remarkable ability of plants to modulate their postembryonic development. Many plant cells also can continue DNA replication in the absence of mitosis, a process known as endoreduplication, causing polyploidy. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell division and endoreduplication and we discuss our understanding, albeit very limited, on how the cell cycle is integrated with plant development.

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Read the full review for this F1000Prime recommended article: Genome-wide analysis of core cell cycle genes in Arabidopsis.

New plant cells arise at the meristems, where they divide a few times before they leave the cell‐cycle program and start to differentiate. Here we show that the E2Fa–DPa transcription factor of Arabidopsis thaliana is a key regulator determining the proliferative status of plant cells. Ectopic expression of E2Fa induced sustained cell proliferation in normally differentiated cotyledon and hypocotyl cells. The phenotype was enhanced strongly by the co‐expression of E2Fa with its dimerization partner, DPa . In endoreduplicating cells, E2Fa–DPa also caused extra DNA replication that was correlated with transcriptional induction of S phase genes. Because E2Fa–DPa transgenic plants arrested early in development, we argue that controlled exit of the cell cycle is a prerequisite for normal plant development.

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