AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Plasmodesmata (Pd) are co-axial membranous channels that cross walls of adjacent plant cells, linking the cytoplasm, plasma membranes and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of cells and allowing direct cytoplasmic cell-to-cell communication of both small molecules and macromolecules (proteins and RNA).

Detailed explanation-2: -Plant cells communicate with each other via narrow channels embedded across adjacent cell walls. These channels, called plasmodesmata, allow molecules to pass between cells, thereby enabling plants to grow normally and develop tissues and organs.

Detailed explanation-3: -Plasmodesmata connect cytoplasms of adjacent cells by traversing the cell wall. Appressed endoplasmic reticulum, called the desmotubule, runs through the plasma membrane-lined pore. Molecules move via the cytoplasmic sleeve between the desmotubule and plasma membrane.

Detailed explanation-4: -To enable intercellular communication, plants have evolved cytoplasmic bridges, called plasmodesmata, which span cell walls, linking the fluid cytoplasm between adjacent cells. A generic plasmodesma has two major components: membranes and spaces (Figure 1).

Detailed explanation-5: -Plasmodesma-mediated communication allows plant cells to dispatch mobile forms of intracellular information to adjacent cells within a tissue or organ. Moreover, using plasmodesmata in conjunction with a phloem-based transport system, plant cells can deploy supracellular, long-distance signalling.