Plasmodesmata: structure, function and biogenesis

Plasmodesmata remain one of the outstanding mysteries in plant biology. In providing conduits for the exchange of small and large, informational molecules they are central to the growth, development and defence of all higher plants. In the past few years, strategies have been devised for the molecular dissection of plasmodesmal composition and function, and we are beginning to see how these enigmatic structures will become to be understood.