Question

• Plant cells have connections that facilitate short-distance transport. What are they called? What else are these connections good for?

Answer 1

Cytoplasm of one plant cell is connected to the another by a type of channel known as plasmodesmata which is responsible for short distance transport and communication between plant cells.

Structurally plasmodesmata is a cytoplasmic opening between the two plant cells where in the pore has an extension of smooth endoplasmic reticulum called desmotubule passing through it and leaving a surrounding cytoplasm area known as plasmodesmata which is used for transport.

They have a similar function as that of gap junctions in animal cells but are quite unrelated structurally to them. It helps in the transport of water and nutrients and other small molecules like ions intercellularly from one to another cytoplasm of the connected plant cell. In this way it facilitates symplastic transport mechanism in plants.

Figure to explain it diagramatically:

Nudeus cell Wall Desmotubule > Plasmodesmata (that cytoplasmic channel qeated - colored blue) cell A cell B