Insights into plasmodesmata composition of fully developed Arabidopsis thaliana leaves

Plasmodesmata (PD) are complex, regulated channels between plant cells that facilitate the movement of signals, metabolites and pathogens, but their small size makes them difficult to study. Previously, Kraner et al. identified an Arabidopsis mutant that produced fewer, simpler plasmodesmata. In their new work, they used this mutant as a tool for a comparative proteomic study to identify proteins associated with plasmodesmata (i.e., proteins under-represented in the cell-wall fraction of the mutant). They identified “61 potential PD candidates containing 17 previously described PD-associated proteins”. This work lays the foundation for further research into the structure and function of plasmodesmata. Plant J. 10.1111/tpj.13702