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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Confocal Microscopy Analysis of Protein Sorting to Plasmodesmata in Nicotiana benthamiana
Published on: November 1, 2024
Plasmodesmata viewed as specialised membrane adhesion sites
Jens Tilsner1, Khalid Amari, Lesley Torrance
1Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JH, UK. J.Tilsner@ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
A significant amount of work has been expended to identify the elusive components of plasmodesmata (PD) to help understand their structure, as well as how proteins are targeted to them. This review focuses on the role that lipid membranes may play in defining PD both structurally and as subcellular targeting addresses. Parallels are drawn to findings in other areas of research which focus on the lateral segregation of membrane domains and the generation of three-dimensional organellar shapes from flat lipid bilayers. We conclude that consideration of the protein-lipid interactions in cell biological studies of PD components and PD-targeted proteins may yield new insights into some of the many open questions regarding these unique structures.
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