title: Plasmodesmata: channels for intercellular signaling during plant growth and development.
abstract: Plants have evolved strategies for short- and long-distance communication to coordinate plant development and to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Plasmodesmata (PD) are intercellular nanochannels that provide an effective pathway for both selective and nonselective movement of various molecules that function in diverse biological processes. Numerous non-cell-autonomous proteins (NCAP) and small RNAs have been identified that have crucial roles in cell fate determination and organ patterning during development. Both the density and aperture size of PD are developmentally regulated, allowing formation of spatial symplastic domains for establishment of tissue-specific developmental programs. The PD size exclusion limit (SEL) is controlled by reversible deposition of callose, as well as by some PD-associated proteins. Although a large number of PD-associated proteins have been identified, many of their functions remain unknown. Despite the fact that PD are primarily membranous structures, surprisingly very little is known about their lipid composition. Thus, future studies in PD biology will provide deeper insights into the high-resolution structure and tightly regulated functions of PD and the evolution of PD-mediated cell-to-cell communication in plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sevilem
authors.forename: Shri Ram
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: Ykä
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Helariutta
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005936:Glucans / Q000378:metabolism; D059828:Plant Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D063245:Plant Development / Q000235:genetics; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D031425:Plasmodesmata / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D005936:Glucans; D010940:Plant Proteins; C048306:callose