Adrien Heymans

The paper shows that counter-gradient growth and cuticle integrity maintain apical hook curvature in plants through mechanical and biochemical coordination.

The paper models how secondary growth and exodermal barriers affect root hydraulics in tomato, showing exodermal suberin has little effect with a lignin cap and secondary growth is crucial for maintaining axial conductance.

The paper challenges the traditional view of cell-cell adhesion in plants by showing that outer epidermal edges, not the middle lamella, are critical for tissue integrity through mechanical stress analysis and structural characterization.

This study identifies RG-II dimerization as critical for cell adhesion in plants and shows its connection to cell wall integrity sensors and brassinosteroid signaling.