Plasmodesma

Plasmodesma allow molecules to travel between plant cells through the symplastic pathway
The structure of a primary plasmodesma. CW=Cell wall CA=Callose PM=Plasma membrane ER=Endoplasmic reticulum DM=Desmotubule Red circles=Actin Purple circles and spokes=Other unidentified proteins.

Plasmodesma (plural is 'plasmodesmata') is a microscopic channel across the cell wall of a plant cell. It allows transport and communication between neighbouring cells. Plasmodesmata also evolved independently in some algae.

Unlike animal cells, every plant cell is surrounded by a polysaccharide cell wall. Neighbouring plant cells are therefore separated by a pair of cell walls. Although cell walls are permeable to small soluble molecules, plasmodesmata allow direct, regulated, intercellular transport of substances between cells.

Similar structures connect animal cells. Stromules form between plastids in plant cells.

References

  1. ↑ Maule, Andrew (December 2008). "Plasmodesmata: structure, function and biogenesis". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 11 (6): 680–686. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2008.08.002. PMID 18824402.
  2. ↑ Oparka K.J. 2005. Plasmodesmata. Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-2554-3; ISBN 978-1-4051-2554-3
  3. ↑ Plasmodesmata (www.dictionary.com)
  4. ↑ Traas, Jan & Vernoux, Teva 2002. The shoot apical meristem: the dynamics of a stable structure. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 357(1422): 737–747, page 744. Archived 2013-08-01 at Archive.today
  5. ↑ Bruce Alberts (2002). Molecular biology of the cell (4th ed.). New York: Garland Science. ISBN 0-8153-3218-1.
  6. ↑ Gallagher K.L. & Benfey P.N. (January 2005). "Not just another hole in the wall: understanding intercellular protein trafficking". Genes Dev. 19 (2): 189–95. doi:10.1101/gad.1271005. PMID 15655108. S2CID 43083409. Archived from the original on 2019-09-12. Retrieved 2014-09-07.
  7. ↑ Gray J.C.; et al. (2001). "Stromules: mobile protrusions and interconnections between plastids". Plant Biology. 3 (3): 223–33. doi:10.1055/s-2001-15204. S2CID 84474739.