Regulators regulated: Different layers of control for plasma membrane phosphoinositides in plants

The membranes of plant cells serve diverse physiological roles, which are defined largely by the localized and dynamic recruitment of proteins. Signaling lipids, such as phosphoinositides, can aid protein recruitment to the plasma membrane via specific recognition of their head groups and influence vesicular trafficking, cytoskeletal dynamics and other processes, with ramifications for plant tissue architecture and development. Phosphoinositide abundance is dynamically regulated. Recent advances indicate various levels of control during development or upon environmental triggers, including transcriptional or posttranslational regulation of enzymes balancing biogenesis and degradation, or the nano-organization of membranes into self-organizing physiologically distinct microenvironments. As patterns of interlinked mechanisms emerge, the horizons of what we do not understand become more and more defined.