A FLOE-related protein regulates the two-dimensional to three-dimensional growth transition in the moss Physcomitrium patens.

The colonization of the land by plants coincided with the evolution of three-dimensional (3D) growth: the acquisition of apical cells with the capacity to rotate the plane of cell division. The moss Physcomitrium patens has recently been developed as a model system in which to dissect the genetic basis of 3D growth, a unifying feature of all land plants. The cytokinin-unresponsive nog1-R mutant incorrectly orients division planes in developing buds and thus fails to make the transition to 3D growth.

NO GAMETOPHORES 2 Is a Novel Regulator of the 2D to 3D Growth Transition in the Moss Physcomitrella patens.

The colonization of land by plants was one of the most transformative events in the history of life on Earth. The transition from water, which coincided with and was likely facilitated by the evolution of three-dimensional (3D) growth, enabled the generation of morphological diversity on land. In many plants, the transition from two-dimensional (2D) to 3D growth occurs during embryo development.