Certain infectious plant viruses have a newly discovered capacity to spread within plants faster and more efficiently than previously imagined, according to UC Davis researchers. In a recent cover article in the journal Cell, the researchers report seeing for the first time the movement of large viral molecules from living cell to living cell within a plant leaf through the relatively narrow transport system known as the "plasmodesmata." Scientists have wondered how large viral molecules fit through these small passageways, akin to squeezing a bowling ball through surgical tubing. The new study describes how plant viruses may widen these transport channels by producing "movement proteins," which in turn may mimic the way a healthy plant moves its own genetic information. Eventually, these findings may help researchers control viruses and improve crop production. Co-author William Lucas, UC Davis professor of plant biology, will give an informal talk on the work at the National Science Foundation, Tuesday, April 12.