Away from traditional views where plant signaling occurs mainly in the nucleus, we have shown in different cell types and thorugh differente molecular players that signal perception at cell surface is crucial to coordinate complex pattern formation programs.
In the flat and interdifitated cells of the leaf epidermis, we showed that surface proteins act as co-receptors to perceive extracellular signals, including auxin via ABP1/ABLs and TMKs co-receptors. This perception can be enhance through the formation of membrane nanodomains, triggering rapid intra-cellular responses independent of transcriptional changes.
In the root epidermis, we investigated how receptor-like kinases impact decision for cell division and cell expansion by conveying positional information. These signals alsocan be organized into nanodomains and are an exquisite example of cell polarity, translating uniform signals into localized growth responses.