Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Transfer cells: cells specialized for a special purpose.

Christina E Offler1, David W McCurdy, John W Patrick

  • 1School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia. tina.offler@newcastle.edu.au

Annual Review of Plant Biology
|September 25, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Transfer cells, vital for nutrient transport in plants, algae, and fungi, possess unique wall ingrowths and plasma membranes. Research is uncovering signals and genes regulating their differentiation and function.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Structural Conservation of Phi Thickenings in Diverse Plant Taxa.

Annals of botany·2025
Same author

Amino acid transporters mediate autonomous delivery of nanoparticle vehicles into living plants.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

<i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> STP13.1 is an H<sup>+</sup>-coupled monosaccharide transporter, present in source leaves and seed coats, with higher substrate affinity at depolarized potentials.

Plant direct·2024
Same author

From mouse to mouse-ear cress: Nanomaterials as vehicles in plant biotechnology.

Exploration (Beijing, China)·2023
Same author

Sugar loading of crop seeds - a partnership of phloem, plasmodesmal and membrane transport.

The New phytologist·2023
Same author

New mosaic fragments toward reconstructing the elusive phloem system.

Journal of plant physiology·2022

Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Transfer cells are specialized plant cells characterized by secondary wall ingrowths.
  • They are found across diverse plant taxa, algae, and fungi, playing a crucial role in nutrient distribution.
  • These cells facilitate high-rate transport at bottlenecks for apoplasmic and symplasmic solute exchange.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the inductive and regulatory signals governing transfer cell differentiation.
  • To elucidate the sequential processes involved in transfer cell development.
  • To identify genes specific to transfer cell identity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing advanced experimental systems for transfer cell research.
  • Employing technologies for imaging the three-dimensional structure of wall ingrowths.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzing inductive signals and regulatory pathways.

    • Main Results:

    • Identification of key structural features: invaginated secondary walls and amplified plasma membranes with solute transporters.
    • Progress in understanding the signals that trigger transfer cell formation.
    • Development of models for transfer cell differentiation.

    Conclusions:

    • Transfer cells are essential for efficient nutrient transport due to their unique cellular architecture.
    • Ongoing research is identifying regulatory mechanisms and genetic factors controlling transfer cell development.
    • A model of differentiation is proposed to guide future investigations into transfer cell biology.