China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Biological Responses in Context
Published in Arthur T. Johnson, Biology for Engineers, 2019
Communication among cells is largely through chemical means. Neurotransmitters (see Section 6.22.3, Neurotransmitters) emitted by neurons cause depolarization of target cells. Hormones secreted by specialized cells can have profound effects on other cells. Small ions can pass between cells, thus enabling surrounding cells to share information about the states of certain cells. A solution of small molecules in water flows through the plasmodesmata (threads of cytoplasm that pass through cell walls and join the cytoplasm of adjacent cells) between plant cells. To share more complex or fat-soluble molecules, or even RNA, long, thin filaments called tunneling nanotubes, or pili, (Figure 6.19.5) bridge between cells and can transport membranous packets (endosomes) of chemicals from the interior of one cell to Ir (Brodie, 2004b). Plasmids may be transferred between bacterial cells through pili and confer traits from one cell to the next. This is thought to be the means that antibiotic resistance passes from one group of bacteria to another.
Plant pharmacology: Insights into in-planta kinetic and dynamic processes of xenobiotics
Published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2022
Tomer Malchi, Sara Eyal, Henryk Czosnek, Moshe Shenker, Benny Chefetz
Absorption in human pharmacology describes the movement of a drug from its site of administration into the blood stream (Buxton & Benet, 2013). For orally administered compounds, the site of absorption is the gastrointestinal tract, composed of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine. The corresponding system in plants is the rhizosphere continuum; i.e. the rhizosphere (soil and water adjacent to the root), the rhizoplane (root surface area, epidermis and mucigel), and the endosphere (root cortex and endodermis) (Bakker et al., 2013; de la Fuente Cantó et al., 2020; York et al., 2016). In plant pharmacology, absorption is the compound's movement from the rhizosphere to the plant's root plasmodesmata, i.e. the cytoplasmic channels between cells providing intracellular continuity along the symplast. The plasmodesmata are analogous to gap junctions between animal cells, serving an essential role in intercellular communication (Bloemendal & Kück, 2013). Once in the symplast, compounds are able to interact with various cellular organelles, proteins and enzymes within the cytoplasm matrix (Taiz et al., 2014). Compounds may also be absorbed via direct exposure of foliage, however this is considered a less relevant route for wastewater-derived xenobiotics which are introduced via irrigation and is thus not included in further discussion in this paper.
Exploring design principles of biological and living building envelopes: what can we learn from plant cell walls?
Published in Intelligent Buildings International, 2018
Yangang Xing, Phil Jones, Maurice Bosch, Iain Donnison, Morwenna Spear, Graham Ormondroyd
Even though plant cells are enclosed by a cell wall, cell to cell communication throughout plant tissues is possible through structures called plasmodesmata, c. 50-nm-diameter plasma-membrane-lined channels that connect adjacent cells through the cell-wall barrier (Ding, Itaya, and Woo 1999).The presence of plasmodesmata allows for a continuous cytoplasmic connection within plant tissues called the symplast. There is a growing body of data showing associations of the cytoskeleton, a complex network of actin filaments and microtubules, with plasmodesmata (Aaziz, Dinant, and Epel 2001). Besides providing inner support for plant cells, the cytoskeleton, which extends throughout the cytoplasm, is involved in intracellular trafficking and closely associated with the plasma membrane.