Overview of dPCD processes during plant life cycle. Instances of dPCD (developmental programmed cell death; skull and crossbones) occurring during vegetative (A-D) and reproductive (F,E) plant development, and senescence (G). (A) In vegetative tissues, dPCD occurs during xylem differentiation, which progresses sequentially through stages of (i) cell specification, (ii) secondary cell wall deposition and lignification, and (iii) cell death and protoplast clearance. (B) Root cap turnover in Arabidopsis. The lateral root cap (LRC) and columella are indicated in purple and brown, respectively. (C) Leaf perforation in some taxa. (D) Lysigenous aerenchyma formation. (E) dPCD is involved in reproductive development in the fully grown plant. During sexual reproduction (i), dPCD occurs in nurturing layers such as the anther, tapetum and ovule nucellus, during anthesis, during functional megaspore (FM) selection and in antipodal cells of some species. During pollination and fertilization (ii), it occurs as part of the self-incompatibility response in some taxa, in the transmitting tract, and in the pollen tube and synergid cells to facilitate fertilization. (F) During seed development, dPCD occurs: (i) in the suspensor; (ii) in the embryo-surrounding endosperm, or the endosperm-adjacent-to-scutellum (EAS) region; and (iii) during seed coat formation and in the aleurone layer during germination. DAP, days after pollination. (G) dPCD is the terminal phase of senescence. Created in BioRender. Pitsili, E. (2026) https://BioRender.com/uo9f4fn. Republished with permission.
In this Primer, @eugeniapitsili.bsky.social and @moritznowack.bsky.social discuss the cellular and molecular frameworks governing the initiation and execution of programmed cell death in plants: doi.org/10.1242/dev....
