Structural and Functional Characterization of EXPO‐Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Plants

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are increasingly being recognized as important mediators of intercellular communication in plants, but their biogenesis, heterogeneity, and membrane origins remain poorly understood. Here, the structural diversity, formation mechanisms and potential functions of EVs from various plant cell types under normal physiological conditions are demonstrated using 3D electron tomography (ET), cryo-ET, and immunogold transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The EVs are classified into three distinct categories based on their size, content, and molecular marker profiles. These are TET8-positive small EVs (∼50-200 nm in diameter, lacking organelle content), Exo70E2-positive medium EVs (∼200-500…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 32270727, 32000141
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province

  Award: 2021J01029
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Award: 20720210094