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Changes in gravity rapidly alter the magnitude and direction of a cellular calcium current

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Abstract

In single-celled spores of the fern Ceratopteris richardii, gravity directs polarity of development and induces a directional, trans-cellular calcium (Ca2+) current. To clarify how gravity polarizes this electrophysiological process, we measured the kinetics of the cellular response to changes in the gravity vector, which we initially estimated using the self-referencing calcium microsensor. In order to generate more precise and detailed data, we developed a silicon microfabricated sensor array which facilitated a lab-on-a-chip approach to simultaneously measure calcium currents from multiple cells in real time. These experiments revealed that the direction of the gravity-dependent polar calcium current is reversed in less than 25 s when the cells are inverted, and that changes in the magnitude of the calcium current parallel rapidly changing g-forces during parabolic flight on the NASA C-9 aircraft. The data also revealed a hysteresis in the response of cells in the transition from 2g to micro-g in comparison to cells in the micro-g to 2-g transition, a result consistent with a role for mechanosensitive ion channels in the gravity response. The calcium current is suppressed by either nifedipine (calcium-channel blocker) or eosin yellow (plasma membrane calcium pump inhibitor). Nifedipine disrupts gravity-directed cell polarity, but not spore germination. These results indicate that gravity perception in single plant cells may be mediated by mechanosensitive calcium channels, an idea consistent with some previously proposed models of plant gravity perception.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Guy Thompson and Greg Clark for discussion and suggestions, Alan Shipley at Applicable Electronics for assistance with ion-selective electrode system setup, Harvey Fishman at U. Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for equipment used in microelectrode experiments and Bill McLamb for help in the parabolic flight experiments. This work was supported by NASA grants to S.J.R. (NAG10-295), S.C.S. (NGT5-50371), and D.M.P.

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Author notes

  1. Mari L. Salmi

    Present address: Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30310, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Mari L. Salmi, Thomas J. Bushart, Stephen C. Stout & Stanley J. Roux

  2. Bindley Bioscience Center, Physiological Sensing Facility, Purdue University, 225 South University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2093, USA

    Aeraj ul Haque & D. Marshall Porterfield

  3. Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Aeraj ul Haque & D. Marshall Porterfield

  4. Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    D. Marshall Porterfield

  5. Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    D. Marshall Porterfield

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  1. Mari L. Salmi
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  2. Aeraj ul Haque
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Marshall Porterfield.

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Salmi, M.L., ul Haque, A., Bushart, T.J. et al. Changes in gravity rapidly alter the magnitude and direction of a cellular calcium current. Planta 233, 911–920 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1343-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-010-1343-2

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