Divide and Rule: Plant Plasma Membrane Organization.

Since the publication of the fluid mosaic as a relevant model for biological membranes, accumulating evidence has revealed the outstanding complexity of the composition and organization of the plant plasma membrane (PM). Powerful new methodologies have uncovered the remarkable multiscale and multicomponent heterogeneity of PM subcompartmentalization, and this is emerging as a general trait with different features and properties. It is now evident that the dynamics of such a complex organization are intrinsically related to signaling pathways that regulate key physiological processes. Listing and linking recent progress in precisely qualifying these heterogeneities will help to draw an integrated picture of the plant PM. Understanding the key principles governing such a complex dynamic organization will contribute to deciphering the crucial role of the PM in cell physiology. Highlights The plant PM is a remarkably complex structure. Intrinsic PM components (lipids and proteins) are heterogeneously distributed at different scales (from a few nanometers to a dozen micrometers), giving rise to the concept of membrane domains. Biophysical properties (membrane order, charge, etc.) are also subcompartmentalized within the plant PM. All characteristics of this organization are highly dynamic and are modified during the early steps of diverse signaling cascades. The molecular determinants of such a complex organization are only starting to be identified, and there is a need to elucidate how these different heterogeneities are combined to assemble the PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]