How to build a shoot: insights from Physcomitrium patens.

Reporter-based markers show localized hormone activity that maintains the gametophore apical cell in the moss Physcomitrium patens, supporting 3D shoot growth.

• Why it matters: Understanding how multi-layered plant body plans form depends on how apical divisions are oriented in three dimensions and how cell fate is spatially controlled.
• What they did: The review integrates recent work on a genetic network linking hormone signalling, cell wall biosynthesis, and cell shape to regulate division orientation, alongside reporter-based hormone activity mapping.
• The result: Together, these findings refine a model for how 3D growth and spatial fate control operate in the Physcomitrium patens gametophore, guiding future studies.

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