Endocytosis in plants: fact or artefact?

Whilst plant cells are apparently equipped with all the necessary molecular machinery for receptor-mediated endocytosis, the physiological role of this process in these cells remains an enigma. In this article, we consider current opinions of endocytosis in plants and define some of the problems that have impeded progress in our under-standing of the part played by endocytosis in the vesicle trafficking pathway.