Abstract
The role of extracellular Ca2+ in root-hair tip growth has been investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Root-hair length was found to be dependent on the concentration of Ca2+ in the growth medium, with maximum length achieved at [Ca2+] of 0.3–3.0 mM. Using a non-intrusive calcium-specific vibrating microelectrode, an extracellular Ca2+ gradient was detected at the tips of individual growing root-hair cells. The direction of the gradient indicated a net influx of Ca2+ into root-hair cells. No gradient was detected near the sides of the root hairs or at the tips of non-growing root hairs. When root hairs were exposed to the Ca2+-channel blocker nifedipine, tip growth stopped and the extracellular Ca2+ gradient was abolished. These results indicate that Ca2+ influx through plasma-membrane Ca2+ channels is required for normal root-hair tip growth.
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Abbreviations
- APW:
-
artificial pond water
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We thank L.F. Jaffe, W. Kuhtreiber and A. Miller of the National Vibrating Probe Facility, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass., USA for their technical assistance and helpful discussions. We also thank Liam Dolan, Martin Steer, and Susan Ford for helpful discussions. This research was supported by National Science Foundation grant PCM-9004568.
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Schiefelbein, J.W., Shipley, A. & Rowse, P. Calcium influx at the tip of growing root-hair cells of Arabidopsis thaliana . Planta 187, 455–459 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199963
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199963