Program Results

Introduction to the event

1.Plant cells are like rooms in a building, surrounded by cell walls. To enable communication between each other, all land plants equip a specialized compartment connecting most cells,named plasmodesmata. Plasmodesmata transport many micro-molecules like nutrients, minerals; plasmodesmata can also selectively transport some macro-molecules like proteins and RNAs. 
Importantly, many plant viruses also take advantage to plasmodesmata to spread and infect the whole plant. We have only limited information about how plant start to adapt plasmodesmata and how the 
evolution sculptures this transport system. In our project, we study one of the liverworts, Marchantia polymorpha, which diverged from vascular plants and evolved independently at very early time. We 
have built up a system to investigate the macro-molecular transport properties in our lab. Our long-term goal is to understand the core structure of plasmodesmata and pinpoint the evolutionary differences of transport mechanisms between liverworts and vascular plants. Eventually by understanding viral movement mechanisms and promote the anti-viral capability of plants. 

2.In our lab, we set up a protein transport observation system by using a green-to-red convertible fluorescent protein. We further use labeling methods to observe the distribution of plasmodesmata in Marchantia polymorpha.

Fig 1: A 10-day-old Marchantia polymorpha plant 

Fig 2: In Nicotiana benthamiana, the convertible fluorescent protein emits strong red fluorescence after 
induction. 

Fig 3: In Marchantia polymorpha, we observed a gradual increase of red fluorescence after the induction 
of conversion.