In situ and ex situ imaging of plant extracellular vesicles as nanovectors for cross‐domain communication

• Published in: Journal of phytopathology Vol. 169; no. 9; pp. 515 - 524
• Main Author: Kim, Ki Woo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Apoplast; Cell walls; Domains; Electron microscopy; exosomes; Extracellular vesicles; Fluorescence; Fungi; Interfaces; Lipids; Membrane vesicles; Membranes; Nucleic acids; Organs; Plant pathology; Plant species; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Ultracentrifugation; Vesicles
• DOI: 10.1111/jph.13022
• ISSN: 0931-1785

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometric, lipid membrane‐bound vesicles released outside the cell. Plants have not been traditionally regarded to have EVs due to the presence of a cell wall. However, since the mid‐1960s, EVs have been reported in various plant species. They are often shown as vesicles in multivesicular bodies (MVBs) that later fuse with the plasma membrane (PM). Plant EVs have been commonly visualized using electron microscopy. Using membrane‐spanning domains, plant EVs can be fluorescence‐detected. They were observed near the infection sites in host tissues attacked by pathogens or at the interfaces with symbiotic fungi. Plant EVs could be taken up by bacteria and fungi. Proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, including small ribonucleic acids (RNAs), were found in plant EVs. Plant EVs have been isolated from the symplast and apoplast of various organs and purified after density gradient ultracentrifugation. Improved protocols and technologies for EV visualization provide a basis for the future applications of EVs in plant pathology.