Cell ablation and the analysis of plant development

The controlled ablation of cells is an effective technique with which to study and manipulate plant development. Traditional microsurgical techniques have been used to remove plant cells with varying degrees of success, but modern methods using either lasers or genetic ablation are proving to be easier to control. Lasers can be used to remove accessible single cells or small groups of cells, and genetic ablation — employing a tissue-specific promoter to control the expression of a cytotoxic gene — is effective for killing a specific set of cells. Ablation techniques have been instrumental in investigating cell—cell interactions, as well as for more applied research, such as on the control of fertility and disease resistance.