Cell division in moss and animals more similar than previously thought

For a new plant to grow from a seed, cells need to divide numerous times. Daughter cells can each take on different tasks and sometimes vary in size. How plants determine the plane of cell division in this process, known as mitosis, is currently being researched. Working with Physcomitrella — a moss plant, they have now identified how the mitotic apparatus is localized in the plant cell: “Using moss cells we were able to observe an unexpected process that is important for the position of the cell division site in plants. …read more