diff --git a/src/mol-plugin/behavior/static/state.ts b/src/mol-plugin/behavior/static/state.ts
index 9553e5f24a94ef37e54aef18543c56c83a92fdbc..612800e4fe6c765762d1408fc60eed915539de3a 100644
--- a/src/mol-plugin/behavior/static/state.ts
+++ b/src/mol-plugin/behavior/static/state.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import { PluginContext } from '../../context';
 import { StateTree, Transform, State } from 'mol-state';
 import { PluginStateSnapshotManager } from 'mol-plugin/state/snapshots';
 import { PluginStateObject as SO } from '../../state/objects';
+import { EmptyLoci, EveryLoci } from 'mol-model/loci';
+import { MarkerAction } from 'mol-geo/geometry/marker-data';
 
 export function registerDefault(ctx: PluginContext) {
     SyncBehaviors(ctx);
@@ -18,6 +20,8 @@ export function registerDefault(ctx: PluginContext) {
     RemoveObject(ctx);
     ToggleExpanded(ctx);
     ToggleVisibility(ctx);
+    Highlight(ctx);
+    ClearHighlight(ctx);
     Snapshots(ctx);
 }
 
@@ -75,6 +79,35 @@ function setVisibilityVisitor(t: Transform, tree: StateTree, ctx: { state: State
     ctx.state.updateCellState(t.ref, { isHidden: ctx.value });
 }
 
+export function Highlight(ctx: PluginContext) {
+    PluginCommands.State.Highlight.subscribe(ctx, ({ state, ref }) => {
+        setHighlight(state, ref)
+        ctx.canvas3d.update()
+        ctx.canvas3d.requestDraw(true);
+    });
+}
+
+function setHighlight(state: State, root: Transform.Ref) {
+    StateTree.doPreOrder(state.tree, state.transforms.get(root), { state }, setHighlightVisitor);
+}
+
+function setHighlightVisitor(t: Transform, tree: StateTree, ctx: { state: State }) {
+    const cell = ctx.state.select(t.ref)[0]
+    if (!cell) return
+    if (!SO.isRepresentation3D(cell.obj)) return;
+    cell.obj.data.mark(EveryLoci, MarkerAction.Highlight)
+
+}
+
+export function ClearHighlight(ctx: PluginContext) {
+    PluginCommands.State.ClearHighlight.subscribe(ctx, ({ state, ref }) => {
+        ctx.behaviors.canvas.highlightLoci.next({ loci: EmptyLoci })
+        ctx.canvas3d.mark(EveryLoci, MarkerAction.RemoveHighlight);
+        ctx.canvas3d.update()
+        ctx.canvas3d.requestDraw(true);
+    });
+}
+
 export function Snapshots(ctx: PluginContext) {
     PluginCommands.State.Snapshots.Clear.subscribe(ctx, () => {
         ctx.state.snapshots.clear();
diff --git a/src/mol-plugin/command.ts b/src/mol-plugin/command.ts
index 34dee15c61b4b8c41202ea72f7efc25e78ff9a79..d948e992e3e67457386996e08471315328648d77 100644
--- a/src/mol-plugin/command.ts
+++ b/src/mol-plugin/command.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ export const PluginCommands = {
 
         ToggleExpanded: PluginCommand<{ state: State, ref: Transform.Ref }>({ isImmediate: true }),
         ToggleVisibility: PluginCommand<{ state: State, ref: Transform.Ref }>({ isImmediate: true }),
+        Highlight: PluginCommand<{ state: State, ref: Transform.Ref }>({ isImmediate: true }),
+        ClearHighlight: PluginCommand<{ state: State, ref: Transform.Ref }>({ isImmediate: true }),
 
         Snapshots: {
             Add: PluginCommand<{ name?: string, description?: string }>({ isImmediate: true }),
diff --git a/src/mol-plugin/ui/state-tree.tsx b/src/mol-plugin/ui/state-tree.tsx
index 5c56a979c7e226df685bbd70dcf26dcf46874e8d..01e85cc715b984d37961a48865ad6ffef2abd91f 100644
--- a/src/mol-plugin/ui/state-tree.tsx
+++ b/src/mol-plugin/ui/state-tree.tsx
@@ -141,6 +141,18 @@ class StateTreeNodeLabel extends PluginComponent<{ nodeRef: string, state: State
         e.currentTarget.blur();
     }
 
+    highlight = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLElement>) => {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        PluginCommands.State.Highlight.dispatch(this.plugin, { state: this.props.state, ref: this.props.nodeRef });
+        e.currentTarget.blur();
+    }
+
+    clearHighlight = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLElement>) => {
+        e.preventDefault();
+        PluginCommands.State.ClearHighlight.dispatch(this.plugin, { state: this.props.state, ref: this.props.nodeRef });
+        e.currentTarget.blur();
+    }
+
     render() {
         const n = this.props.state.transforms.get(this.props.nodeRef)!;
         const cell = this.props.state.cells.get(this.props.nodeRef)!;
@@ -170,7 +182,7 @@ class StateTreeNodeLabel extends PluginComponent<{ nodeRef: string, state: State
             <span className='msp-icon msp-icon-visual-visibility' />
         </button>;
 
-        return <div className={`msp-tree-row${isCurrent ? ' msp-tree-row-current' : ''}`}>
+        return <div className={`msp-tree-row${isCurrent ? ' msp-tree-row-current' : ''}`} onMouseEnter={this.highlight} onMouseLeave={this.clearHighlight}>
             {isCurrent ? <b>{label}</b> : label}
             {children.size > 0 &&  <button onClick={this.toggleExpanded} className='msp-btn msp-btn-link msp-tree-toggle-exp-button'>
                 <span className={`msp-icon msp-icon-${cellState.isCollapsed ? 'expand' : 'collapse'}`} />