Multicellular organisms possess diverse cell types that are organized in particular patterns.
An important goal in the study of the development of multicellular organisms is to understand how cells acquire distinct identities and follow specific morphogenesis programs to form appropriate patterns. In my laboratory, we seek to understand the molecular mechanisms that control fate specification and cell morphogenesis in eukaryotes. Our model system is the formation of the root epidermis in the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The root epidermis is a simple tissue and a useful one for our studies because it is a single cell layer, it is on the outer surface of the root, it begins to form within two days after seed germination, it is generated in a continuous fashion throughout the plant's life, and epidermal cell mutants of all types are viable. In one of our projects, we have identified and analyzed two genes that encode transcription factors involved in the specification of epidermal cell fate.