biostudies-literatureWang JChina Scholarship CouncilEuropean Research CouncilUniversity of Ghent Bijzonder OnderzoeksfondsResearch Foundation Flanders941-962https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7615778biostudies-literatureUnknown36(4)Programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental cellular process crucial to development, homeostasis, and immunity in multicellular eukaryotes. In contrast to our knowledge on the regulation of diverse animal cell death subroutines, information on execution of PCD in plants remains fragmentary. Here, we make use of the accessibility of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root cap to visualize the execution process of developmentally controlled PCD. We identify a succession of selective decompartmentalization events and ion fluxes as part of the terminal differentiation program that is orchestrated by the NO APICAL MERISTEM, ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA ACTIVATING FACTOR, CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON (NAC) transcription factor SOMBRERO. Surprisingly, the breakdown of the large central vacuole is a relativeThe Plant cellA developmentally controlled cellular decompartmentalization process executes programmed cell death in the Arabidopsis root cap.PMC761577820190676001886495201P06118639234G041118N12I7420NMylle EBuono RAVahldick HNowack MKJiang QVan Damme DLin ZWang JBollier NHudecek RFeng QfalseA developmentally controlled cellular decompartmentalization process executes programmed cell death in the Arabidopsis root cap.Programmed cell death (PCD) is a fundamental cellular process crucial to development, homeostasis, and immunity in multicellular eukaryotes. In contrast to our knowledge on the regulation of diverse animal cell death subroutines, information on execution of PCD in plants remains fragmentary. Here, we make use of the accessibility of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root cap to visualize the execution process of developmentally controlled PCD. We identify a succession of selective decompartmentalization events and ion fluxes as part of the terminal differentiation program that is orchestrated by the NO APICAL MERISTEM, ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA ACTIVATING FACTOR, CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON (NAC) transcription factor SOMBRERO. Surprisingly, the breakdown of the large central vacuole is a relative2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Mar2026-06-05T05:45:34.853Z2025-04-06T16:08:07.07ZS-EPMC76157783808506310.1093/plcell/koad308