question: What is the name of microscopic channels which traverse the cell walls of plants?
distractor3: notochord
distractor1: chloroplasts
distractor2: sphenopalatine
correct_answer: plasmodesmata
support: Plasmodesmata (singular, plasmodesma ) are microscopic channels which traverse the cell walls of plant cells and some algal cells. These junctions enable two cells to transport materials and communication between them. Plasmodesmata are similar to gap junctions of animal cells. Like gap junctions, plasmodesmata enable direct intercellular transport of substances between cells. However, unlike other junctions, plasmodesmata do not seem to be protein based. Rather, they are made from membrane and cell wall material. Plasmodesmata move various types of molecules, including transport proteins (including transcription factors), short interfering RNA, messenger RNA and viral genomes from cell to cell. A typical plant cell may have between 1,000 and 100,000 plasmodesmata connecting it with adjacent cells.