Ground tissue circuitry regulates organ complexity in maize and Setaria

Dyed roots reveal inner complexity Plant roots do so much more than just hold a plant up. As a site for air storage during flooding, mycorrhizal symbiosis, or carbohydrate storage, the more complex root can tap more complicated functions. Taking advantage of a dye that stains less the deeper it penetrates the tissue, Ortiz-Ramírez et al . applied fluorescence-activated cell sorting to the complex cell layers of the maize root. RNA sequencing applied to the single-cell pools defined a developmental map and showed that the mobile transcription factor SHORT-ROOT travels through multiple cell layers and directs this grass root’s anatomical complexity. —PJH