Fluridone affects quiescent centre division in the Arabidopsis thaliana root stem cell niche.

Plants undergo cell division throughout their life in order to maintain their growth. It is well known that root and shoot tip of plants possess meristems, which contain quiescent cells. Fluridone (1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-(3-trifluoromethyl (phenyl))-4-(1H)-pyridinone) is an established inhibitor of both ABA and carotenoid biosynthesis. However, the other functions of fluridone remain undiscovered. In this report, we provide experimental evidence that fluridone plays a role in the division of the quiescent centre of the Arabidopsis root meristem. This study examined the effects of exogenous fluridone and ABA on the development of the stem cell niche in Arabidopsis root. We show that fluridone promoted the division of stem cells in the quiescent centre, whereas exogenous ABA suppressed quiescent centre division. Furthermore, we established a novel regulatory function for fluridone by demonstrating that it plays an important role in postembryonic development.