Abstract

Plasmodesmata are membranous pores unique to plants that connect neighbouring cells, forming a supra-cellular transport network that is fundamental to plant multicellularity. By regulating the intercellular movement of transcription factors, small RNAs, hormones, pathogens/disease factors, and nutrients, plasmodesmata are decisive for growth, differentiation and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, and integrate signalling at the cell, tissue and organ level. Recent work has identified key molecular actors allowing spectacular advances in our understanding of the complex mechanisms regulating these structures and the multiple signalling pathways that converge onto them. This EMBO Workshop aims to bring together a multi-disciplinary group of researchers working on different aspects of plant intercellular communication as well as related fields such as membrane biophysics, lipid signalling, membrane contact sites, cell wall mechanics and computational modelling, to highlight outstanding questions and novel techniques, and advance research into this fundamental area of plant biology.