Calcium-induced calcium release mediated by a voltage-activated cation channel in vacuolar vesicles from red beet

Little is known about the mechanisms underlying calcium-induced Ca2+ release (CICR) in plants. The slow-activating vacuolar (SV) channel is both permeable to, and activated by Ca2+, and is therefore a prime candidate for a role in CICR. Cytosol-side-out vacuolar membrane vesicles loaded with 45Ca2+ showed voltage- and Ca(2+)-dependent Ca2+ release, which was sensitive to the SV channel modulators DIDS, protein phosphatase 2B and calmodulin. Significantly, voltage-dependent Ca2+ release strongly depended on cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentrations. The results support the notion that CICR occurs in plant cells and that the process can be catalysed by the SV channel on the vacuolar membrane.

PHYSIOLOGY OF ION TRANSPORT ACROSS THE TONOPLAST OF HIGHER PLANTS

The vacuole of plant cells plays an important role in the homeostasis of the cell. It is involved in the regulation of cytoplasmic pH, sequestration of toxic ions and xenobiotics, regulation of cell turgor, storage of amino acids, sugars and CO2 in the form of malate, and possibly as a source for elevating cytoplasmic calcium. All these activities are driven by two primary active transport mechanisms present in the vacuolar membrane (tonoplast). These two mechanisms employ high-energy metabolites to pump protons into the vacuole, establishing a proton electrochemical potential that mediates the transport of a diverse range of solutes. Within the past few years, great advances at the molecular and functional levels have been made on the characterization and identification of these mechanisms. The aim of this review is to summarize these studies in the context of the physiology of the plant cell.

Effects of aluminum on the growth and distribution of calcium in roots of an aluminum-sensitive cultivar of barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Aluminum-induced inhibition of root growth in the Al-sensitive cultivar Kearney of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the result of disruption of both cell division in the meristematic region and cell expansion in the zone of elongation of the roots. In seedlings directly germinated in 50 μM Al, inhibition of root growth is detected 48 h after initiation of germination and it results primarily from the disruption of cell elongation. In seedlings germinated for 2 days under Al-free conditions, inhibition of root growth is apparent 8 h after transfer to 50 μM Al. In this instance, root growth inhibition is mainly the result of disruption of cell division in the meristematic region of the root. The calcium indicator dyes chlorotetracycline and Fluo-3 are used to study the distribution of intracellular calcium and its relationship to aluminum phototoxicity. Aluminum increases both chlorotetracycline and Fluo-3 fluorescence intensities. Fluorescence of the cytosolic calcium indicator dye Fluo-3 increases primarily in the zone of elongation of the roots of seedlings directly germinated in 50 μM aluminum. The increase in Fluo-3 fluorescence occurs concomitantly with major changes in both the length and width of the cells in the zone of elongation. The evidence suggests that changes in calcium homeostasis occurring in cells of the zone of elongation may be a major factor in the disruption of cell expansion and consequently root growth in seedlings directly germinated in 50 μM aluminum. Key words: aluminum, calcium, barley, chlorotetracycline, Fluo-3.

The voltage-gated Ca2+ release channel in the vacuolar membrane of sugar beet resides in two activity states

The voltage-gated Ca2+ release channel in the vacuolar membrane of sugar beet tap roots resides in two states which show similar reversal potentials in biionic conditions but differ dramatically in their single channel current and open frequency. State I has a unitary Ca2+ conductance of 3.9 +/- 0.5 pS and channel openings are rare at vacuolar resting potentials. After spontaneous and reversible transition into State II the unitary Ca2+ conductance increases three-fold, accompanied by a concomitant rise in channel activity over the physiological voltage range. The 15- to 19-fold increase in total Ca2+ current after the State I to State II transition could play an essential role in channel activation during signal transduction.

Release of Ca2+ from individual plant vacuoles by both InsP3 and cyclic ADP-ribose

Calcium mobilization from intracellular pools couples many stimuli to responses in plant cells. Cyclic adenosine 5'-diphosphoribose (cADPR), which interacts with a ryanodine receptor in certain animal cells, was shown to elicit calcium release at the vacuolar membrane of beet storage root. The vacuolar calcium release pathway showed similarities to cADPR-gated calcium release in animal cells, including inhibition by ruthenium red, ryanodine activation, and high affinity for cADPR [Michaelis constant (Km) = 24 +/- 7 nanomolar]. Analysis by patch-clamping demonstrated that the cADPR-gated pathway in beet is voltage-dependent over the physiological range, does not spontaneously desensitize, and is colocalized with an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)-gated calcium release pathway in individual vacuoles.