Chloroplast
Photosynthetic Plant & Algal Cells
A light-harvesting plastid that converts sunlight into chemical energy stored as sugar.
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Plant Cells
Plasmodesmata
Channels between worlds.
Living bridges through the wall — the channels that make a plant one continuous organism.
Rp 3.400.000
A note
The campaign imagery is a fictional luxury concept. Toggle to Scientific X-Ray for the labelled biological illustration.
Structure
Microscopic channels that extend through the cell walls of adjacent plant cells, connecting their cytoplasm. Each channel is lined by a continuous plasma membrane and commonly contains a narrow strand of endoplasmic reticulum called the desmotubule. A cytoplasmic sleeve surrounds the desmotubule and provides a pathway for molecular movement.
Function
Allow the direct transport of ions, small organic molecules and certain signalling molecules between neighbouring plant cells. They also enable intercellular communication by creating continuous connections between the cytoplasm of adjacent cells.
Where Found
Plant cells and some closely related algae. Absent in animal and prokaryotic cells.
Why It Matters
Plasmodesmata enable neighbouring plant cells to exchange substances and coordinate their activities despite being separated by rigid cell walls. They are important for nutrient distribution, signalling and the regulation of plant growth and development.
Structure → Function
The cytoplasmic sleeve around the desmotubule is a direct transport route between cells. Regulation of channel opening controls what goes through.
