European Journal of Cell Biology 102 (2023) 151345
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
European Journal of Cell Biology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ejcb
Recent advances in plant cell biology
Cytology was born back in 1839 when the botanist, Matthias
Schleiden, and the zoologist, Theodor Schwann, gathered their own
observations with the previous scattered studies to established the so-
called “cell theory”. Defining cells as the structural and functional
units of living organisms was a major breakthrough that provided the
framework for future studies on a solid ground. A hundred years later
technical and methodological advances together with the conceptual
changes towards a holistic view of the cellular life led to the formal birth
of cell biology. More recently, the field has witnessed a plethora of new
technical improvements that have contributed to a boost of cell biology
research. Many studies since then, mostly carried out using animal cells
as models, have provided a very strong body of knowledge on different
aspects of the structure, organization and function of cellular compo­
nents. However, as it occurred 150 years ago, the study of cell biology in
plants has revealed novel mechanisms, structures and processes that
have enriched our knowledge on how plant life has evolved. In this issue
of the European Journal of Cell Biology a series of review articles have
been selected to highlight some specific topics of plant cell biology. The
aim is not, at this stage, to provide a comprehensive coverage of all
topics. Rather, in this first Special Issue we have selected articles that are
plant-specific but also others that address topics relevant for animal cell
studies. One of the purposes of this Special Issue is to make plant cell
biology more visible to scientists using other model organisms with the
aim of revealing the path to appreciate the advantages and contributions
of studies of plants to the whole cell biology body of knowledge.
Plant cells contain a rich endomembrane system including endo­
plasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi. Synaptotagmin (SYT) family mem­
bers are known to facilitate membrane fusion events (Wolfes and Dean,
2020). Plant SYTs have a modular organization containing a trans­
membrane region that mediates tethering of the ER to the plasma
membrane (PM). Importantly, plant SYTs are important not only to
maintain endomembrane structure but also play a function in the
response to different types of stress, both biotic and abiotic.
Benitez-Fuente and Botella in this issue provide a comprehensive review
on synaptotagmins (SYTs), which are resident proteins of plant ER, and
focus on their role in stress response and how this role seems to be
mediated by their SMP domain involved in lipid shuttling between ER
and PM.
Signaling cascades depend on the perception and information
transmission inside the cell by proteins residing in the plasma membrane
(Bender and Zipfel, 2023). Assembly of protein complexes and their
dynamics is crucial to understand cellular responses to external cues. Cui
et al. discuss here the structure and function of a group of peripheral
plasma membrane proteins, the C2-DOMAIN ABSCISIC ACID-RELATED
(CAR) family members that contain a Ca2+ and phospholipid-binding C2
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151345
Available online 2 August 2023
0171-9335/© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
domain. These proteins, which are plant-specific, can oligomerize in
specific plasma membrane microdomains and participate in a variety of
responses to light, iron and both biotic and abiotic stress. Understanding
their cell biology should reveal their role in coordinating cellular re­
sponses and the signaling mechanisms that operate downstream inside
the cell.
Biosynthesis and remodeling of the plant cell wall, one of the major
differences with animal cells, is a continuous process that relies on
secretion of cell wall components (Zhu and McFarlane, 2022). Proper
secretion depends on strictly regulated endomembrane trafficking, both
in antero- and retrograde directions. Zouhar et al. focus on retrograde
endomembrane trafficking and its role in the homeostasis of cellular
components to be secreted as well as in protein relocalization and
membrane repair. Coordination with the anterograde trafficking is dis­
cussed also to highlight conserved and unique plant features of this
important process.
The mechanism of cytokinesis, a key process during the cell cycle
(Desvoyes et al., 2020; Sablowski and Gutierrez, 2022), is another plant
cell-specific process that relies extensively on vesicle trafficking and
fusion, as well as on microtubular organization, aimed at generating a
new cell wall that physically separates the two daughter cells after cell
division (Buschmann and Müller, 2019; Winter et al., 2023). Since po­
sitional information is crucial for plant anatomy and organ function,
defining the position and orientation of the cell division plane is of
primary importance during development. Uyehara and Rasmussen have
reviewed the various mechanisms controlling cell plane positioning as
well as the implications that a better knowledge of this process might
have to understand plant growth and eventually its response to a
changing climate.
The genomic information of the cell is stored in the nucleus. Studies
in recent decades have clearly demonstrated that it is highly organized
not only in individual chromosomes but also in specific territories within
the nucleus. These domains that can be identified on the basis of their
epigenetic landscape as well as by their function, features that change
during the cell cycle and after differentiation (Sequeira-Mendes and
Gutierrez, 2016; Xiang and Corces, 2021). Thus, the 3D genomic ar­
chitecture is crucial for nuclear functions, and hence, for cellular life.
Tourdot and Grob discuss aspects of plant nuclear 3D organization. Plant
genome size can vary enormously and plant cells increase their ploidy in
response to developmental cues. Therefore, studies of plant cell genome
3D architecture have become a useful model to define features common
to other eukaryotes and unique to plant nuclei.
Nuclear size and cell volume can be very different among species and
different cell types. These parameters are crucial for cell physiology by
affecting biosynthetic activities, metabolism, growth rate, to cite a few
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
B. Desvoyes and C. Gutierrez
(D’Ario and Sablowski, 2019). Their importance is supported by its
frequent alteration in disease states in animals and after developmental
errors in multicellular organisms. Funga and Bergmann address the topic
of how cell size and shape are critical for developmental transitions,
including the control of differentiation timing. Recent results support
the idea that a progressive reduction of cell size is necessary for pre­
paring cells for differentiation. Whether a “timer”, a “counter” or a
“sizer” mechanism, or perhaps a combination of them, is responsible for
controlling the proliferative potential before differentiation is a matter
of hard discussion that needs further research.
Plants have the capacity not only to arrest growth at certain times
and resume it later when environmental conditions are appropriate but
also, and most strikingly, to regenerate new organs and even a whole
body from parts of various organs. This is extremely advantageous from
an evolutionary point of view since it provides sessile organisms with a
self-protective mechanism to repair and/or substitute damaged organs
after injuries of different kinds (Desvoyes and Gutierrez, 2020; Ikeuchi
et al., 2020; Liao and Wang, 2023). The basis for the regeneration ca­
pacity resides in profound changes that occur in selected cells at
different levels, including gene reprogramming as well as changes in
metabolism and organellar components. However, not all tissues of a
plant organism and not all plant species exhibit the same regeneration
potential, as discussed by Lianga et al. in this Special Issue. One of the
key pathways involved in wounding repair relies on members of the
ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTORS family of transcriptional regulators
that control several aspects of cellular physiology.
As mentioned above, the present collection of review articles is far
from comprehensive, which was not the initial aim, but it serves to
highlight various aspects of plant cell biology that are rapidly
advancing. We expect that bringing together this set of articles could
contribute to make more visible the cell biology research carried out
using plants as models. This can only be beneficial to the whole body of
knowledge since comparative studies of evolutionary distant species can
reveal the common principles operating in conserved process as well as,
even more relevant, can contribute to identify novel processes.
Note of the Editor-in-Chief: This issue is dedicated to the memory of
Prof. Carlos Vicente Cordoba (1944–2020). Prof. Vicente Cordoba
taught Plant Physiology at Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain,
where he also developed his research. His contributions to the field of
symbiosis and plant-pathogen interactions, and his dauntless commit­
ment to undergraduate and graduate teaching were an integral part of
the field of Plant Biology in Spain.
European Journal of Cell Biology 102 (2023) 151345
References
Bender, K.W., Zipfel, C., 2023. Paradigms of receptor kinase signaling in plants. Biochem
J. 480, 835–854. https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20220372.
Buschmann, H., Müller, S., 2019. Update on plant cytokinesis: rule and divide. Curr.
Opin. Plant Biol. 52, 97–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2019.07.003.
D’Ario, M., Sablowski, R., 2019. Cell size control in plants. Annu Rev. Genet. 53, 45–65.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-genet-112618-043602.
Desvoyes, B., Gutierrez, C., 2020. Roles of plant retinoblastoma protein: cell cycle and
beyond. EMBO J. 39, e105802 https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2020105802.
Desvoyes, B., Arana-Echarri, A., Barea, M.D., Gutierrez, C., 2020. A comprehensive
fluorescent sensor for spatiotemporal cell cycle analysis in Arabidopsis. Nat. Plants 6,
1330–1334. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00770-4.
Ikeuchi, M., Rymen, B., Sugimoto, K., 2020. How do plants transduce wound signals to
induce tissue repair and organ regeneration? Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 57, 72–77.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2020.06.007.
Liao, R.-Y., Wang, J.-W., 2023. Analysis of meristems and plant regeneration at single-
cell resolution. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 74, 102378 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
pbi.2023.102378.
Sablowski, R., Gutierrez, C., 2022. Cycling in a crowd: coordination of plant cell division,
growth, and cell fate. Plant Cell 34, 193–208. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/
koab222.
Sequeira-Mendes, J., Gutierrez, C., 2016. Genome architecture: from linear organisation
of chromatin to the 3D assembly in the nucleus. Chromosoma 125, 455–469.
Winter, Z., Bellande, K., Vermeer, J.E.M., 2023. Divided by fate: the interplay between
division orientation and cell shape underlying lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis.
Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 74, 102370 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102370.
Wolfes, A.C., Dean, C., 2020. The diversity of synaptotagmin isoforms. Curr. Opin.
Neurobiol. 63, 198–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2020.04.006.
Xiang, J.-F., Corces, V.G., 2021. Regulation of 3D chromatin organization by CTCF. Curr.
Opin. Genet Dev. 67, 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gde.2020.10.005.
Zhu, Y., McFarlane, H.E., 2022. Regulation of cellulose synthesis via exocytosis and
endocytosis. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 69, 102273 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
pbi.2022.102273.
Bénédicte Desvoyes*, Crisanto Gutierrez*
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Nicolás Cabrera 1,
28049 Madrid, Spain
*
Corresponding authors.
E-mail addresses: bdesvoyes@cbm.csic.es (B. Desvoyes),
cgutierrez@cbm.csic.es (C. Gutierrez).