Gravity-directed calcium current in germinating spores of Ceratopteris richardii

Gravity directs the early polar development in single cells of Ceratopteris richardii Brogn. It acts over a limited period of time during which it irreversibly determines the axis of the spore cell's development. A self-referencing calcium selective electrode was utilized to record the net move...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Planta 2000-03, Vol.210 (4), p.607-610
Main Authors: Chatterjee, Ani, Porterfield, D. Marshall, Smith, Peter S., Roux, Stanley J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Calcium
Calcium - physiology
Calcium Channel Blockers - pharmacology
Calcium Channels - metabolism
Cell membranes
Cell Nucleus - physiology
Cell Polarity
Electrodes
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germination
Germination - physiology
Gravitropism - physiology
Ion currents
Life Sciences (General)
Light
Nifedipine - pharmacology
Physical agents
Plant Development
Plant physiology and development
Plant spores
Plants - metabolism
Protons
Roux
Space life sciences
Spore germination
Spores
Spores - metabolism
Vegetative apparatus, growth and morphogenesis. Senescence
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Summary:Gravity directs the early polar development in single cells of Ceratopteris richardii Brogn. It acts over a limited period of time during which it irreversibly determines the axis of the spore cell's development. A self-referencing calcium selective electrode was utilized to record the net movement of calcium across the cell membrane at different positions around the periphery of the spore during the period in which gravity orients the polarity of the spore. A movement of calcium into the cell along the bottom and out of the cell along the top was detected. This movement was specific, polarized, and strongest in a direction that opposed the vector of gravity. Treatment with nifedipine, a calcium-channel blocker, diminished the calcium current and caused the cell to lose its responsiveness to the orienting influence of gravity. Results shown suggest that calcium plays a crucial role in the ability of a single cell to respond to gravity and in the subsequent establishment of its polarity.
ISSN:0032-0935
1432-2048
DOI:10.1007/s004250050050