The Plant Vacuole as Heterologous System to Characterize the Functional Properties of TPC Channels

Human TPC channels are an emerging family of intracellular proteins fundamental for cell physiology and involved in various severe pathologies. Their localization in the membranes of endo-lysosomes, intracellular compartments of submicrometric dimensions, makes their study difficult with usual electrophysiological techniques. In this work, we show how the plant vacuole, a versatile organelle that can occupy up to 90% of the volume in mature plant cells, can be used as a heterologous system of expression for functional characterization. For this purpose, the use of vacuoles isolated from mesophyll cells of the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lacking the endogenous TPC avoids unwanted interferences. The patch-clamp technique can be successfully applied to plant vacuoles in all different configuration modes; of note, the whole-vacuole configuration allows to study channel modulation by cytosolic factors. The combination of patch-clamp with fluorescence techniques, for example, by using fluorescent probes sensitive to specific ions of interest, represents a useful extension to investigate the selectivity properties of the channels. Therefore, the plant vacuole, similar to Xenopus oocytes for ion channels and transporters localized in the plasma membrane, has the capability to become a model system for functional studies on intracellular ion channels and transporters.

A perspective on the modulation of plant and animal two pore channels (TPCs) by the flavonoid naringenin

The inhibitory effect of the flavonoid naringenin on plant and human Two-Pore Channels (TPCs) was assessed by means of electrophysiological measurements. By acting on human TPC2, naringenin, was able to dampen intracellular calcium responses to VEGF in cultured human endothelial cells and to impair angiogenic activity in VEGF-containing matrigel plugs implanted in mice. Molecular docking predicts selective binding sites for naringenin in the TPC structure, thus suggesting a specific interaction between the flavonoid and the channel.

Modulation of calcium and potassium permeation in plant TPC channels

Plant two-pore channels (TPCs) are non-selective cation channels permeable both to monovalent potassium and divalent calcium. We previously developed a technique that allowed the simultaneous determination of the fluxes of these two ions across the channel by a combined use of patch-clamp and fluorescence. In this paper we studied how potassium and calcium fluxes were influenced by modification of cytosolic concentrations of K⁺ and Ca²⁺. A decrease in cytosolic calcium from 2 to 0.5 mM led to a shift of the activation curve of about +60 mV; although at positive potentials currents were very similar, calcium ion permeation was significantly reduced and the ratio between the total and calcium-mediated current increased about two-fold. Upon removal of cytosolic potassium, in the presence of 2 mM cytosolic calcium, the voltage-dependent activation curve was not modified but a dramatic reduction of the currents at positive voltages was apparent. However, calcium permeation did not change significantly in this condition. This work demonstrated that the electrophysiological measurements alone were not capable to predict the extent of the flow of different ions through cation channels. The parallel use of calcium detection by fluorescent dyes proved to be a valuable tool for the correct quantification of the permeation mechanisms in non-selective ion channels.

Imaging Vacuolar Anthocyanins with Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy (FLIM)

Anthocyanins are intrinsically fluorescent pigments that accumulate in plant vacuoles. We have developed a platform to analyze the fluorescence decay of anthocyanins by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Fluorescence lifetime of a fluorophore can be influenced by temperature, pH, oxygen concentration, and other environmental conditions. Within plant cells, the anthocyanin fluorescence lifetime correlates with distinct subcellular compartments. Vacuolar anthocyanins exhibit shorter fluorescence lifetime than the cytoplasmic pool. Consistent with these observations, lower pH of anthocyanins solutions correlated with shorter fluorescence lifetimes. We discuss here the use of FLIM as a tool for analyzing the subcellular distribution of anthocyanins and estimating variation in vacuolar pH in intact cells.

Isolation of Vacuoles and the Tonoplast

Isolation of various subcellular compartments followed by a high-coverage proteomic analysis provides an unparalleled foundation for the functional analyses of proteins. Analyses of tonoplast preparations free of major contaminants provide insights into vesicular fusion machinery, solute transport, and the vacuole association with the cytoskeleton, whereas analyses of the vacuolar lumen have yielded numerous soluble glycosidases, proteases, and proteins involved in stress responses. In addition, vacuolar lumen preparations have also allowed characterization of a luminal solute content in response to various abiotic stresses. Here, I revisit and update one of the most successful methodologies for vacuole and tonoplast isolation.

Using the plant vacuole as a biological system to investigate the functional properties of exogenous channels and transporters

Plant cells possess a large intracellular compartment that animal cells do not, the central vacuole, which has been investigated for a long time. The central vacuole can occupy up to 90% of the cellular volume and, differently from intracellular organelles from animal cells such as lysosomes or endosomes, it is easy to isolate. Because of its large dimension (up to 40 μm diameter) it can be successfully studied using the classical patch-clamp technique. Following the idea that the vacuolar membrane could be used as a convenient model to characterize the functional properties of channel-forming peptides, we verified that the phytotoxic lipodepsipeptide Syringopeptin 25A from Pseudomonas syringae pv syringae was able to form ionic pores in sugar beet vacuoles and we performed a detailed biophysical analysis. Recently, we extended the use of plant vacuoles to the expression and functional characterization of animal intracellular transporters, namely rat CLC-7, and channels, i.e. human TPC2. Since endo-lysosomal transporters and channels are still largely unexplored, principally because their intracellular localization renders them difficult to study, we believe that this novel approach will prove to be a powerful system for the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of exogenous transporters and channels. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Pore-Forming Toxins edited by Mauro Dalla Serra and Franco Gambale.