PubMed · 2026-05-14
Scientists mapped 1.2 million individual tomato cells during shoot regeneration and discovered a previously unknown egg-shaped stem-cell hub that directs the process. The hub has three distinct zones — an outer signaling ring, a middle flexible zone, and a quiet inner core — coordinated by a peptide molecule called EPFL8b.
Approximately 1.2 million individual tomato cells were profiled across the full timeline from wounding through new shoot formation, creating the most detailed spatial atlas of plant regeneration to date.
A previously unrecognized egg-shaped (ovoid) stem-cell niche was discovered, organized into three compartments: an outer signaling layer, a middle 'plastic' zone capable of changing fate, and an inner quiescent core.
The peptide EPFL8b, concentrated in the outer signaling layer, communicates with receptors in the middle zone and is required for proper stem-cell niche organization and successful shoot regeneration.
