Review: Guidelines for studying and naming plant plasma-membrane domains

Numerous studies have highlighted the critical importance of plasma membrane heterogeneities in regulating cell functions, leading to a proliferation of overlapping and contradictory terminologies. Here, Jaillais and others in the field propose a new system of nomenclature. It really is a must-read for anyone interested in cell biology, so here I’ll just report two key recommendations. First, they propose a clear distinction between nanodomains and polar domains, largely dependent on scale. Nanodomains are small (<1 μm) molecular assemblies in the membrane plane. Polar domains are larger, site-specific accumulations of membrane molecules occurring at the cellular level, often associated with cell-level processes such as vesicular transport or a polarized cytoskeleton. Second, the authors provide a thoughtful overview of the driver/ client relationship in membrane domains, as well as guidelines for studying membrane domains. They conclude, “With the progress of fluorescence microscopy techniques with ever-increasing spatiotemporal resolution, the study of membrane domains has become a major focus of plant cell biology, and we anticipate that this interest in the community will continue to grow in the coming years.” (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching) Nature Plants 10.1038/s41477-024-01742-8