What is the function of patterned metabolite production in the root?

Glutathione (GSH) is produced in specific cell types in the Arabidopsis root, but the function of this patterning in unknown. GSH is critical for regeneration, so understanding the cell types and developmental stages that produce or require the most GSH can guide GSH application during regeneration protocols.

The Lee Lab is taking an evolutionary developmental approach to understand the range of metabolite patterning in plants to identify conserved and divergent developmental and regeneration strategies.