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Protoplasma Jan 2011
Topics: Plasmodesmata
PubMed: 21161303
DOI: 10.1007/s00709-010-0253-2 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Jun 2018The complex form of higher plants requires continuous, balanced transport of nutrients in the phloem. The initial step of transferring sugars, amino acids, and other... (Review)
Review
The complex form of higher plants requires continuous, balanced transport of nutrients in the phloem. The initial step of transferring sugars, amino acids, and other materials from photosynthetic cells to the conducting sieve tubes is known as phloem loading. Three phloem loading mechanisms have been described. The first involves release of sucrose into the apoplast and subsequent retrieval by the phloem. The initial release step in this process is now known to be mediated by a new class of transporters, the SWEET proteins. In the other two loading mechanisms, polymer trapping and diffusion, sucrose passes into the phloem through cytoplasmic channels, the plasmodesmata. Recent models have shed additional light on these mechanisms and their ability to sustain the growth of even the tallest trees.
Topics: Amino Acids; Biological Transport; Membrane Transport Proteins; Phloem; Photosynthesis; Plant Proteins; Plants; Plasmodesmata; Sucrose; Sugars
PubMed: 29448176
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.01.009 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Nov 2018In plants, communication and molecular exchanges between different cells and tissues are dependent on the apoplastic and symplastic pathways. Symplastic molecular... (Review)
Review
In plants, communication and molecular exchanges between different cells and tissues are dependent on the apoplastic and symplastic pathways. Symplastic molecular exchanges take place through the plasmodesmata, which connect the cytoplasm of neighboring cells in a highly controlled manner. Callose, a β-1,3-glucan polysaccharide, is a plasmodesmal marker molecule that is deposited in cell walls near the neck zone of plasmodesmata and controls their permeability. During cell differentiation and plant development, and in response to diverse stresses, the level of callose in plasmodesmata is highly regulated by two antagonistic enzymes, callose synthase or glucan synthase-like and β-1,3-glucanase. The diverse modes of regulation by callose synthase and β-1,3-glucanase have been uncovered in the past decades through biochemical, molecular, genetic, and omics methods. This review highlights recent findings regarding the function of plasmodesmal callose and the molecular players involved in callose metabolism, and provides new insight into the mechanisms maintaining plasmodesmal callose homeostasis.
Topics: Cell Wall; Glucans; Glucosyltransferases; Homeostasis; Plants; Plasmodesmata
PubMed: 30165704
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ery317 -
Nature Chemical Biology Nov 2023Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal phytohormones that are essential for plant growth, development and adaptation to environmental stresses. BRs act in a dose-dependent...
Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal phytohormones that are essential for plant growth, development and adaptation to environmental stresses. BRs act in a dose-dependent manner and do not travel over long distances; hence, BR homeostasis maintenance is critical for their function. Biosynthesis of bioactive BRs relies on the cell-to-cell movement of hormone precursors. However, the mechanism of the short-distance BR transport is unknown, and its contribution to the control of endogenous BR levels remains unexplored. Here we demonstrate that plasmodesmata (PD) mediate the passage of BRs between neighboring cells. Intracellular BR content, in turn, is capable of modulating PD permeability to optimize its own mobility, thereby manipulating BR biosynthesis and signaling. Our work uncovers a thus far unknown mode of steroid transport in eukaryotes and exposes an additional layer of BR homeostasis regulation in plants.
Topics: Brassinosteroids; Plasmodesmata; Plant Growth Regulators; Plants; Hormones; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Arabidopsis Proteins
PubMed: 37365405
DOI: 10.1038/s41589-023-01346-x -
The Plant Cell Sep 2002Intercellular communication is essential for differentiation and development. In plants, plasmodesmata (PD) form cytoplasmic channels for direct communication. During...
Intercellular communication is essential for differentiation and development. In plants, plasmodesmata (PD) form cytoplasmic channels for direct communication. During plant development, programmed reduction in PD number and transport capacity creates the so-called symplasmic domains. Small fluorescent dyes and ions can diffuse among cells within a domain but not across domain boundaries. Such symplasmic isolation is thought to allow groups of cells to differentiate and develop into tissues with distinct structures and functions. Whether or how "symplasmically isolated" cells communicate with one another is poorly understood. One well-documented symplasmic domain is the sieve element-companion cell (SE-CC) complex in the phloem tissue. We report here that, when produced in the CC of transgenic tobacco, the 3a movement protein (3a MP) of Cucumber mosaic virus fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) can traffic out of the SE-CC complex via PD. The extent of 3a MP:GFP traffic across the boundary between vascular and nonvascular tissues depends on organ type and developmental stage. Our findings provide experimental evidence that endogenous machinery exists for protein traffic between the symplasmically isolated SE-CC complex and neighboring cells. We suggest that PD-mediated traffic of selected macromolecules can be a mechanism for symplasmically isolated cells to communicate with one another.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Cytoplasm; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Luminescent Proteins; Plant Leaves; Plant Stems; Plant Viral Movement Proteins; Plants, Genetically Modified; Plasmodesmata; Protein Transport; RNA, Messenger; Signal Transduction; Nicotiana; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 12215506
DOI: 10.1105/tpc.003954 -
Journal of Plant Research Jan 2015Plasmodesmata (PD) are intercellular connections in plants which play roles in various developmental processes. They are also found in brown algae, a group of eukaryotes... (Review)
Review
Plasmodesmata (PD) are intercellular connections in plants which play roles in various developmental processes. They are also found in brown algae, a group of eukaryotes possessing complex multicellularity, as well as green plants. Recently, we conducted an ultrastructural study of PD in several species of brown algae. PD in brown algae are commonly straight plasma membrane-lined channels with a diameter of 10-20 nm and they lack desmotubule in contrast to green plants. Moreover, branched PD could not be observed in brown algae. In the brown alga, Dictyota dichotoma, PD are produced during cytokinesis through the formation of their precursor structures (pre-plasmodesmata, PPD). Clustering of PD in a structure termed "pit field" was recognized in several species having a complex multicellular thallus structure but not in those having uniseriate filamentous or multiseriate one. The pit fields might control cell-to-cell communication and contribute to the establishment of the complex multicellular thallus. In this review, we discuss fundamental morphological aspects of brown algal PD and present questions that remain open.
Topics: Cell Wall; Cytokinesis; Phaeophyceae; Plasmodesmata
PubMed: 25516500
DOI: 10.1007/s10265-014-0677-4 -
Current Opinion in Plant Biology Dec 2021Plasmodesmata (PD) are integral plant cell wall components that provide routes for intercellular communication, signaling, and resource sharing. They are therefore... (Review)
Review
Plasmodesmata (PD) are integral plant cell wall components that provide routes for intercellular communication, signaling, and resource sharing. They are therefore essential for plant growth and survival. Much effort has been put forth to understand how PD are generated and their structure is refined for function and to determine how they regulate intercellular trafficking. This review provides an overview of some of the approaches that have been used to study PD structure and function, highlighting those that may be more widely adopted to address questions of PD cell biology and function. Extending our focus on the importance of communication, we address how effective communication strategies can increase diversity and accessibility in the research laboratory, focusing on challenges faced by our deaf/hard-of-hearing colleagues, and highlight successful approaches to including them in the research laboratory.
Topics: Cell Communication; Cell Wall; Plasmodesmata; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 34826658
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102143 -
The New Phytologist Jan 2018Contents Summary 62 I. Introduction 62 II. Plasmodesmal regulation is an innate defence response 63 III. Reactive oxygen species regulate plasmodesmal function 63 IV.... (Review)
Review
Contents Summary 62 I. Introduction 62 II. Plasmodesmal regulation is an innate defence response 63 III. Reactive oxygen species regulate plasmodesmal function 63 IV. Plasmodesmal regulation by and of defence-associated small molecules 64 V. Plasmodesmata facilitate systemic defence signalling 64 VI. Virulent pathogens exploit plasmodesmata 66 VII. Outlook 66 Acknowledgements 66 References 66 SUMMARY: Plasmodesmata (PD) are plasma membrane-lined pores that connect neighbouring plant cells, bridging the cell wall and establishing cytoplasmic and membrane continuity between cells. PD are dynamic structures regulated by callose deposition in a variety of stress and developmental contexts. This process crudely controls the aperture of the pore and thus the flux of molecules between cells. During pathogen infection, plant cells initiate a range of immune responses and it was recently identified that, following perception of fungal and bacterial pathogens, plant cells initially close their PD. Systemic defence responses depend on the spread of signals between cells, raising questions about whether PD are in different functional states during different immune responses. It is well established that viral pathogens exploit PD to spread between cells, but it has more recently been identified that protein effectors secreted by fungal pathogens can spread between host cells via PD. It is possible that many classes of pathogens specifically target PD to aid infection, which would infer antagonistic regulation of PD by host and pathogen. How PD regulation benefits both host immune responses and pathogen infection is an important question and demands that we examine the multicellular nature of plant-pathogen interactions.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Cell Wall; Cytoplasm; Glucans; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Plant Cells; Plant Immunity; Plants; Plasmodesmata; Reactive Oxygen Species; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 29083038
DOI: 10.1111/nph.14857 -
Molecular Plant Pathology Jun 2022Plants perceive an assortment of external cues during their life cycle, including abiotic and biotic stressors. Biotic stress from a variety of pathogens, including... (Review)
Review
Plants perceive an assortment of external cues during their life cycle, including abiotic and biotic stressors. Biotic stress from a variety of pathogens, including viruses, oomycetes, fungi, and bacteria, is considered to be a substantial factor hindering plant growth and development. To hijack the host cell's defence machinery, plant pathogens have evolved sophisticated attack strategies mediated by numerous effector proteins. Several studies have indicated that plasmodesmata (PD), symplasmic pores that facilitate cell-to-cell communication between a cell and neighbouring cells, are one of the targets of pathogen effectors. However, in contrast to plant-pathogenic viruses, reports of fungal- and bacterial-encoded effectors that localize to and exploit PD are limited. Surprisingly, a recent study of PD-associated bacterial effectors has shown that a number of bacterial effectors undergo cell-to-cell movement via PD. Here we summarize and highlight recent advances in the study of PD-associated fungal/oomycete/bacterial effectors. We also discuss how pathogen effectors interfere with host defence mechanisms in the context of PD regulation.
Topics: Host-Pathogen Interactions; Oomycetes; Plant Diseases; Plants; Plasmodesmata
PubMed: 34569687
DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13142 -
The Plant Cell Aug 2023Effective cellular signaling relies on precise spatial localization and dynamic interactions among proteins in specific subcellular compartments or niches, such as...
Effective cellular signaling relies on precise spatial localization and dynamic interactions among proteins in specific subcellular compartments or niches, such as cell-to-cell contact sites and junctions. In plants, endogenous and pathogenic proteins gained the ability to target plasmodesmata, membrane-lined cytoplasmic connections, through evolution to regulate or exploit cellular signaling across cell wall boundaries. For example, the receptor-like membrane protein PLASMODESMATA-LOCATED PROTEIN 5 (PDLP5), a potent regulator of plasmodesmal permeability, generates feed-forward or feed-back signals important for plant immunity and root development. However, the molecular features that determine the plasmodesmal association of PDLP5 or other proteins remain largely unknown, and no protein motifs have been identified as plasmodesmal targeting signals. Here, we developed an approach combining custom-built machine-learning algorithms and targeted mutagenesis to examine PDLP5 in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. We report that PDLP5 and its closely related proteins carry unconventional targeting signals consisting of short stretches of amino acids. PDLP5 contains 2 divergent, tandemly arranged signals, either of which is sufficient for localization and biological function in regulating viral movement through plasmodesmata. Notably, plasmodesmal targeting signals exhibit little sequence conservation but are located similarly proximal to the membrane. These features appear to be a common theme in plasmodesmal targeting.
Topics: Arabidopsis Proteins; Plasmodesmata; Arabidopsis; Membrane Proteins; Carrier Proteins
PubMed: 37225403
DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad152