The plasma membrane (PM) is essential for living cells as it is the membrane that separates the interior of the cell from the outside environment. Recent studies have revealed that nanoscale liquid-ordered domains, called nanodomains, exist on the PM and are related to various cellular and physiological functions in plants as a platform for PM proteins. By generating transgenic plants in which nanodomains were decreased, we demonstrated that nanodomains regulate plant innate immunity (Nagano et al., Plant Cell, 2016).

We also found that nanodomains may play an important role in the plant response to elemental deficiency and cold stress. Furthermore, we attempted to develop fluorescent markers that directly visualize nanodomains, from which we could reveal their dynamics and organization. We aim to improve plant functions by utilizing nanodomains.