Cell division plane orientation based on tensile stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

The control of cell division plane orientation is crucial in biology and most particularly in plants, in which cells cannot rearrange their positions, as they are glued to each other by their cell walls. Cell geometry has long been proposed to determine cell division plane orientation. Here, using statistical analysis, modeling, and live imaging in the Arabidopsis shoot apex, we show that plant cells instead divide along maximal tension.