doi: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00672 Transfer cells

address global food security as demand for agricultural produc-tion is predicted to more than double by 2050. A key determinant of plant productivity and thus crop yield is efficient nutrient transport between sites of net nutrient synthesis and acquisi-tion to sites of net utilization. Transfer cells (TCs) play key roles in optimizing such nutrient transport processes in plants, and thus research on these anatomically specialized cell types has the potential to contribute new approaches for improving plant per-formance. The collection of reviews and research articles in this Research Topic on Transfer Cells provides a valuable contribution to advancing our understanding of these important cell types in plant biology. TCs trans-differentiate from existing cell types by develop-ing extensive wall ingrowths. The resulting increase in plasma membrane surface area enables increased densities of membran