Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Author Spotlight: Image-Based Methods to Study Membrane Trafficking Events in Stomatal Lineage Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
Plant vacuole morphology and vacuolar trafficking
Chunhua Zhang1, Glenn R Hicks1, Natasha V Raikhel1
1Center for Plant Cell Biology and Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California at Riverside Riverside, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Plant vacuoles are essential organelles for plant growth and development, and have multiple functions. Vacuoles are highly dynamic and pleiomorphic, and their size varies depending on the cell type and growth conditions. Vacuoles compartmentalize different cellular components such as proteins, sugars, ions and other secondary metabolites and play critical roles in plants response to different biotic/abiotic signaling pathways. In this review, we will summarize the patterns of changes in vacuole morphology in certain cell types, our understanding of the mechanisms of plant vacuole biogenesis, and the role of SNAREs and Rab GTPases in vacuolar trafficking.
Related Concept Videos
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Vesicular Tubular Clusters
With the help of motor proteins such...
The Apoplast and Symplast
Introduction to Membrane Traffic
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...
Clathrin Coated Vesicles
Vesicular Trasport: Endocytosis, Transcytosis and Exocytosis
Endocytosis is a cellular mechanism that involves the inward folding of the cell membrane to create vesicles that capture and transport large drug molecules. This process comprises two distinct methods: pinocytosis (often referred to as "cell drinking") and phagocytosis (often referred to as "cell...

