New Insights in Plant Cell Biology

Dear Colleagues,

Plant cells have many features that are different to or absent in animal cells. The most obvious distinctions are the ability for autonomous energy production by photosynthesis in chloroplasts and, usually, the presence of the cell wall. Plants have much larger vacuoles (generally a unique central vacuole) playing a different role to the small vacuoles of animal cells. Their microtubule cytoskeleton is organized by acentriolar centrosomes or amorphous pericentriolar material. Actin, present in plant cells, does not form elaborated microfilaments necessary in animal cells for their movements and shaping. The cells of higher plants are interconnected by plasmodesmata–membrane-lined connections that join plant cells to their neighbors. Thus, we can consider the whole plant to be a huge single entity. All these peculiarities come down to a specific metabolism and the molecular machinery unique to plants. We most probably only know the tip of the iceberg of these differences because very few plants are studied as model organisms.

In this Special Issue, we aim to gather original and review articles dealing with plant-specific features with the hope of widening our knowledge of plant-cell-specific structures, processes, and metabolic and molecular pathways.

Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak
Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc
Guest Editors

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