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Current Biology : CB Dec 2018Multicellular organisms rely on cell-to-cell communication and resource exchange to coordinate the various diverse processes involved in growth, development, and...
Multicellular organisms rely on cell-to-cell communication and resource exchange to coordinate the various diverse processes involved in growth, development, and environmental responses across tissues and organs. Most complex multicellular organisms have highly organised and specialised anatomies, which develop by processes underpinned by regulated mechanisms for intercellular coordination. Indeed, in 1897 Wilhelm Pfeffer noted that for a plant to coordinate its physiological responses across the whole, there must be continuity throughout the entire organism, and that connections between cells must transport material and messages between tissues. Intercellular communication is an integral factor in any tissue-wide or organ-wide process in a multicellular organism.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Plasmodesmata
PubMed: 30562524
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.11.004 -
The New Phytologist Jul 2024Plasmodesmata are plasma membrane-lined connections that join plant cells to their neighbours, establishing an intercellular cytoplasmic continuum through which... (Review)
Review
Plasmodesmata are plasma membrane-lined connections that join plant cells to their neighbours, establishing an intercellular cytoplasmic continuum through which molecules can travel between cells, tissues, and organs. As plasmodesmata connect almost all cells in plants, their molecular traffic carries information and resources across a range of scales, but dynamic control of plasmodesmal aperture can change the possible domains of molecular exchange under different conditions. Plasmodesmal aperture is controlled by specialised signalling cascades accommodated in spatially discrete membrane and cell wall domains. Thus, the composition of plasmodesmata defines their capacity for molecular trafficking. Further, their shape and density can likewise define trafficking capacity, with the cell walls between different cell types hosting different numbers and forms of plasmodesmata to drive molecular flux in physiologically important directions. The molecular traffic that travels through plasmodesmata ranges from small metabolites through to proteins, and possibly even larger mRNAs. Smaller molecules are transmitted between cells via passive mechanisms but how larger molecules are efficiently trafficked through plasmodesmata remains a key question in plasmodesmal biology. How plasmodesmata are formed, the shape they take, what they are made of, and what passes through them regulate molecular traffic through plants, underpinning a wide range of plant physiology.
Topics: Plasmodesmata; Biological Transport; Plants; Plant Cells
PubMed: 38494438
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19666 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Jun 2018The long-distance transport of sugars and nutrients through the phloem is essential for the proper function and growth of vascular plants. However, in addition to... (Review)
Review
The long-distance transport of sugars and nutrients through the phloem is essential for the proper function and growth of vascular plants. However, in addition to essential nutrients and sugars, phloem sap also contains small molecules (e.g. hormones) as well as a diverse population of macromolecules (i.e. proteins small RNAs, and mRNAs), the endogenous functions of which remain largely unknown. Understanding the cellular origins of these mobile macromolecules, their path into and out of the phloem translocation stream, and their fate at their new destination is essential for characterizing their presumptive function. Specialized plasmodesmal connections that regulate phloem entry and exit are central to all of these processes. Here, we highlight new discoveries underscoring plasmodesmal structure and function during unloading of various molecules in the sink, and discuss how these findings shape a new view for the potential function of phloem-mobile macromolecules.
Topics: Biological Transport; Phloem; Plants; Plasmodesmata; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 29751226
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.04.014 -
Molecular Plant Pathology Apr 2020RNA interference is a biological process whereby small RNAs inhibit gene expression through neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules. This process is conserved in... (Review)
Review
RNA interference is a biological process whereby small RNAs inhibit gene expression through neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules. This process is conserved in eukaryotes. Here, recent work regarding the mechanisms of how small RNAs move within and between organisms is examined. Small RNAs can move locally and systemically in plants through plasmodesmata and phloem, respectively. In fungi, transportation of small RNAs may also be achieved by septal pores and vesicles. Recent evidence also supports bidirectional cross-kingdom communication of small RNAs between host plants and adapted fungal pathogens to affect the outcome of infection. We discuss several mechanisms for small RNA trafficking and describe evidence for transport through naked form, combined with RNA-binding proteins or enclosed by vesicles.
Topics: Extracellular Vesicles; Fungi; Phloem; Plasmodesmata; RNA Interference; RNA, Plant
PubMed: 32027079
DOI: 10.1111/mpp.12911 -
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2015The symplastic communication network established by plasmodesmata (PD) and connected phloem provides an essential pathway for spatiotemporal intercellular signaling in... (Review)
Review
The symplastic communication network established by plasmodesmata (PD) and connected phloem provides an essential pathway for spatiotemporal intercellular signaling in plant development but is also exploited by viruses for moving their genomes between cells in order to infect plants systemically. Virus movement depends on virus-encoded movement proteins (MPs) that target PD and therefore represent important keys to the cellular mechanisms underlying the intercellular trafficking of viruses and other macromolecules. Viruses and their MPs have evolved different mechanisms for intracellular transport and interaction with PD. Some viruses move from cell to cell by interacting with cellular mechanisms that control the size exclusion limit of PD whereas other viruses alter the PD architecture through assembly of specialized transport structures within the channel. Some viruses move between cells in the form of assembled virus particles whereas other viruses may interact with nucleic acid transport mechanisms to move their genomes in a non-encapsidated form. Moreover, whereas several viruses rely on the secretory pathway to target PD, other viruses interact with the cortical endoplasmic reticulum and associated cytoskeleton to spread infection. This chapter provides an introduction into viruses and their role in studying the diverse cellular mechanisms involved in intercellular PD-mediated macromolecular trafficking.
Topics: Biological Transport; Cell Communication; Cytoskeleton; Endoplasmic Reticulum; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Cells; Plant Viral Movement Proteins; Plant Viruses; Plants; Plasmodesmata; RNA, Viral; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 25287194
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1523-1_2 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Mar 2023Plasmodesmata are cytosolic bridges, lined by the plasma membrane and traversed by endoplasmic reticulum; plasmodesmata connect cells and tissues, and are critical for...
Plasmodesmata are cytosolic bridges, lined by the plasma membrane and traversed by endoplasmic reticulum; plasmodesmata connect cells and tissues, and are critical for many aspects of plant biology. While plasmodesmata are notoriously difficult to extract, tissue fractionation and proteomic analyses can yield valuable knowledge of their composition. Here we have generated two novel proteomes to expand tissue and taxonomic representation of plasmodesmata: one from mature Arabidopsis leaves and one from the moss Physcomitrium patens, and leveraged these and existing data to perform a comparative analysis to identify evolutionarily conserved protein families that are associated with plasmodesmata. Thus, we identified β-1,3-glucanases, C2 lipid-binding proteins, and tetraspanins as core plasmodesmal components that probably serve as essential structural or functional components. Our approach has not only identified elements of a conserved plasmodesmal proteome, but also demonstrated the added power offered by comparative analysis for recalcitrant samples. Conserved plasmodesmal proteins establish a basis upon which ancient plasmodesmal function can be further investigated to determine the essential roles these structures play in multicellular organism physiology in the green lineages.
Topics: Plasmodesmata; Proteomics; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Cell Membrane; Proteome
PubMed: 36639877
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad022 -
Journal of Plant Research Jan 2015Plant viruses utilize plasmodesmata (PD), unique membrane-lined cytoplasmic nanobridges in plants, to spread infection cell-to-cell and long-distance. Such invasion... (Review)
Review
Plant viruses utilize plasmodesmata (PD), unique membrane-lined cytoplasmic nanobridges in plants, to spread infection cell-to-cell and long-distance. Such invasion involves a range of regulatory mechanisms to target and modify PD. Exciting discoveries in this field suggest that these mechanisms are executed by the interaction between plant cellular components and viral movement proteins (MPs) or other virus-encoded factors. Striking working analogies exist among endogenous non-cell-autonomous proteins and viral MPs, in which not only do they all use PD to traffic, but also they exploit same regulatory components to exert their functions. Thus, this review discusses on the viral strategies to move via PD and the PD-regulatory mechanisms involved in viral pathogenesis.
Topics: Cell Movement; Models, Biological; Plant Viruses; Plants; Plasmodesmata; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 25527904
DOI: 10.1007/s10265-014-0683-6 -
The Enzymes 2016Phloem serves as a highway for mobile signals in plants. Apart from sugars and hormones, proteins and RNAs are transported via the phloem and contribute to the... (Review)
Review
Phloem serves as a highway for mobile signals in plants. Apart from sugars and hormones, proteins and RNAs are transported via the phloem and contribute to the intercellular communication coordinating growth and development. Different classes of RNAs have been found mobile and in the phloem exudate such as viral RNAs, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), microRNAs, transfer RNAs, and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Their transport is considered to be mediated via ribonucleoprotein complexes formed between phloem RNA-binding proteins and mobile RNA molecules. Recent advances in the analysis of the mobile transcriptome indicate that thousands of transcripts move along the plant axis. Although potential RNA mobility motifs were identified, research is still in progress on the factors triggering siRNA and mRNA mobility. In this review, we discuss the approaches used to identify putative mobile mRNAs, the transport mechanism, and the significance of mRNA trafficking.
Topics: Cell Communication; Phloem; Plant Cells; Plants; RNA Transport; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Plant
PubMed: 27776778
DOI: 10.1016/bs.enz.2016.07.001 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2022Plasmodesmata (PD) are plant-specific channels connecting adjacent cells to mediate intercellular communication of molecules essential for plant development and defense.... (Review)
Review
Plasmodesmata (PD) are plant-specific channels connecting adjacent cells to mediate intercellular communication of molecules essential for plant development and defense. The typical PD are organized by the close apposition of the plasma membrane (PM), the desmotubule derived from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and spoke-like elements linking the two membranes. The plasmodesmal PM (PD-PM) is characterized by the formation of unique microdomains enriched with sphingolipids, sterols, and specific proteins, identified by lipidomics and proteomics. These components modulate PD to adapt to the dynamic changes of developmental processes and environmental stimuli. In this review, we focus on highlighting the functions of sphingolipid species in plasmodesmata, including membrane microdomain organization, architecture transformation, callose deposition and permeability control, and signaling regulation. We also briefly discuss the difference between sphingolipids and sterols, and we propose potential unresolved questions that are of help for further understanding the correspondence between plasmodesmal structure and function.
Topics: Cell Communication; Cell Membrane; Plasmodesmata; Sphingolipids; Sterols
PubMed: 35628487
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105677 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Feb 2016Communication between cells is a crucial step to coordinate organ formation and tissue patterning. In plants, the intercellular transport of metabolites and signalling... (Review)
Review
Communication between cells is a crucial step to coordinate organ formation and tissue patterning. In plants, the intercellular transport of metabolites and signalling molecules occur symplastically through membranous structures (named plasmodesmata) that traverse the cell wall to connect the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum of neighbouring cells. This review aims to highlight the importance of symplastic communication in plant development. We revisit current literature reporting the effects of changing plasmodesmata in cell morphogenesis, organ initiation and meristem maintenance and comment on recent work involving the identification of novel plasmodesmata regulators and of mobile developmental proteins and RNA molecules. New opportunities for unravelling the dynamic regulation and function of plasmodesmata are also discussed.
Topics: Biological Transport; Plant Development; Plasmodesmata; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 26658335
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2015.10.007