Sterol Endocytosis and Trafficking in Plant Cells.

Structural sterols are integral components of biological membranes. They regulate membrane permeability and fluidity, and they influence the activity of membrane proteins. In Arabidopsis, their composition is critical for normal plant development. The endocytosis and recycling of plasma membrane sterols display similar pathways as some polarly distributed proteins, and thus sterol-dependent trafficking can be an integral part of the polarity establishment in plants. Here, we summarise recent data about sterol endocytosis and sterol trafficking within endocytic pathways in different aspects of cell development in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]