Mechanical stress orients stomata division to form tissue scale alignments.

The last stomatal division aligns with the leafs main axis in many species [1]. Understanding how cellular events such as these are coordinated across organ scales remains a challenge in developmental biology. In Arabidopsis, polarised proteins guide the asymmetric divisions in the early stomatal lineage. These proteins show organ scale alignment and may be sensitive to mechanical stress [2]. In contrast, what determines the orientation and alignment of the critical final division is unknown [3]. Here we use an artificial system where every cell adopts the fate of a stomata pore [4] making it easy to visualise their alignment. Combining this system with simultaneous time-lapse imaging on both sides of the cotyledon we are able to compare the stomatal orientation relative to the organ axis, the cell major axis, and the principal directions of growth. Using finite element modelling on a realistic template enabled us to identify differential growth-derived stress patterns as a factor coordinating stomata division at the organ scale. Mechanical perturbation confirmed the influence of tensile stress on stomata division orientation. Through this study, we have identified a mechanism that can explain this nearly century-old observation.