Toward a 3D model of phyllotaxis based on a biochemically plausible auxin-transport mechanism

Polar auxin transport lies at the core of many self-organizing phenomena sustaining continuous plant organogenesis. In angiosperms, the shoot apical meristem is a potentially unique system in which the two main modes of auxin-driven patterning—convergence and canalization—co-occur in a coordinated manner and in a fully three-dimensional geometry. In the epidermal layer, convergence points form, from which auxin is canalized towards inner tissue. Each of these two patterning processes has been extensively investigated separately, but the integration of both in the shoot apical meristem remains poorly understood. We present here a first attempt of a three-dimensional model of auxin-driven patterning during phyllotaxis. We base our simulations on a biochemically plausible mechanism of auxin transport proposed by Cieslak et al. (2015) which generates both convergence and canalization patterns. We are able to reproduce most of the dynamics of PIN1 polarization in the meristem, and we explore how the epidermal and inner cell layers act in concert during phyllotaxis. In addition, we discuss the mechanism by which initiating veins connect to the already existing vascular system.