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First published online November 5, 2004; 10.1104/pp.104.041889 Plant Physiology 136:4318-4325 (2004) © 2004 American Society of Plant Biologists
Can Ca2+ Fluxes to the Root Xylem Be Sustained by Ca2+-ATPases in Exodermal and Endodermal Plasma Membranes?1Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1
The pathway of Ca2+ movement from the soil solution into the root stele has been a subject of controversy. If transport through the endodermis is assumed to be through the cytoplasm, the limiting factor is believed to be the active pumping of Ca2+ from the cytoplasm into the stele apoplast through the plasma membrane lying on the stele side of the Casparian band. By analogy, for similar transport through the exodermis, the limiting step would be the active pumping into the apoplast on the central cortical side of the layer. Such effluxes are mediated by Ca2+-ATPases. To assess whether or not known Ca2+ fluxes to the stele in onion (Allium cepa) roots could be supported by Ca2+-ATPases, the percentages of total membrane protein particles required to effect the transport were calculated using measured values of membrane surface areas, an animal literature value for Ca2+-ATPase Vmax, plant literature values for Ca2+-ATPase Km, and protein densities of relevant membranes. Effects of a putative symplastic movement of Ca2+ from the exo- or endodermis into the next cell layer, which would increase the surface areas available for pumping, were also considered. Depending on the assumptions applied, densities of Ca2+ pumps, calculated as a percentage of total membrane protein particles, varied tremendously between three and 1,600 for the endodermis, and between 0.94 and 1,900 for the exodermis. On the basis of the data, the possibility of Ca2+ transport through the cytoplasm and membranes of the exodermis and endodermis cannot be discounted. Thus, it is premature to assign an entirely apoplastic pathway for Ca2+ movement from the soil solution to the tracheary elements of the xylem. To verify any conclusion with certainty, more detailed data are required for the characteristics of exo- and endodermal Ca2+-ATPases.
The root endo- and exodermis are highly specialized layers that lie on the radial path of ion and water uptake in plant roots. Roots of virtually all vascular plants have an endodermis (Damus et al., 1997
Like the other essential ions absorbed by the root, Ca2+ moves radially through the root tissues (epidermis, exodermis [when present], central cortex, endodermis, pericycle, and perhaps through xylem parenchyma) before entering the lumena of the tracheary elements. Previous work has conclusively shown that Ca2+ passes through the mature, intact exodermis and endodermis of onion roots on its way to the root stele (Cholewa and Peterson, 2004
The controversy concerning the pathway of Ca2+ through the root exodermis and endodermis springs from its normally low concentration in the cytoplasm (in the range of 107 M), from the question of the permeability of Casparian bands to ions, and from experimental results that favor one or the other pathway. (For a full discussion of these topics, see Cholewa, 2000
This contribution is a quantitative consideration of Ca2+ movement into the stele of the onion root, making all assumptions explicit. From the outset, it was assumed that all Ca2+ entering the root stele passed across the membranes and through the cytoplasms of the endo- and exodermal cells and that no Ca2+ moved through cells with suberin lamellae, the latter having been demonstrated by Moore et al. (2002)
Net Flux of Ca2+ into the Onion Root Stele
According to Cholewa and Peterson (2004)
Measurements of Relevant Membrane Surface Areas Surface areas were calculated from measurements made of various cells in onion roots and assuming a 10 mm length of root (Table II). In the young zone, the surface area of the relevant endodermal plasma membrane (i.e. the membrane on the stele side of the Casparian band) was 11 mm2, henceforth referred to as 100% of the original endodermal surface area. If it is assumed that Ca2+ moves through plasmodesmata into the pericycle, thus enlarging the symplastic compartment from which the ion can be pumped into the apoplast, the plasma membrane surface is increased to 33.9 mm2 (i.e. to about 300% of the original endodermal surface area).
In the old root zone, structural changes had occurred in the endodermis. Its relevant membrane surface area was reduced compared to that in the young zone, owing to the development of suberin lamellae, which appear to be impermeable to Ca2+ (Moore et al., 2002 In the case of the exodermis, suberin lamellae had developed in its long cells, leaving only the membranes of the short cells to consider. The relevant membrane surface area in this layer is 2.1 mm2 (Table II), representing only 7% of the total exodermal surface area (assuming an exodermal diameter of 1 mm). The effect of including an additional cortical layer brought about a very striking increase in available membrane surface area because of the relatively small plasmalemma area of the exodermal short cells and the greater area of plasma membrane contributed by the large central cortical cells. The increase was from 2.1 mm2 to 89 mm2 (Table II).
To the best of our knowledge, to date there is no data on the activity of purified Ca2+-ATPase from a plant source. A reasonable estimate of the pump's Vmax of 50 ions pump1 s1 was obtained from animal literature (Table I). A range of Km values of between 0.4 µM to 10 µM is known from plant literature (Table I).
From freeze fracture images, Robards et al. (1980)
At a given protein density in the plasma membrane, the number of Ca2+-ATPase molecules required to sustain the known flux of Ca2+ into the onion root stele depends on the activity of the pumps and on the area of the membrane through which pumping occurs. The required numbers of Ca2+-ATPases were calculated for young and old zones of onion roots with various cell layers involved and with three levels of pump activity (i.e. for Vmax, 1% and 33% Vmax). As their activity is assumed to diminish, more pump molecules would be required to support Ca2+ efflux from the cytoplasm (Table III).
Required Ca2+-ATPase as a Percent of Total Plasmalemma Protein Particles
Values from Tables I and III were used to calculate the percent of total membrane protein that would need to be Ca2+-ATPase to account for the known flux of Ca2+ into the onion root stele. It was assumed that both the plasma membranes of the endodermis and short cells of the exodermis have the numbers of proteins reported for the endodermis by Robards et al. (1980)
If a value of 1% Vmax is used in the calculation of these data, very different results are obtained. In all cases save one, the number of required particles exceeds the total protein particles expected to be in the membranes, and by a wide margin (Table IV).
To describe the pathway of Ca2+ movement from the soil solution to the stele correctly, it is necessary to know whether or not it is possible for this ion to pass through the cytoplasm of the mature endodermis and exodermis. The limiting step is considered to be the centripetal calcium efflux from the cytoplasm into the stele apoplast via the pump Ca2+-ATPase (see White, 2001
Pump activity in situ is related to its Vmax and Km. To the best of our knowledge, the Vmax for a plant-derived Ca2+-ATPase has not been measured for pumps purified from plasma membranes. Thus, the value of 50 Ca2+ ions (Ca2+-ATPase molecule)1 s1 reported for purified animal Ca2+-ATPase was used (Garrahan and Rega, 1990
The rate at which Ca2+ is pumped from the cytoplasm into the apoplast of the stele also depends on the Km of the Ca2+-ATPase and the concentration of free Ca2+ in the cytoplasm. According to Kiegle et al. (2000)
If one assumes the lower extreme of 1% Vmax (cytoplasmic Ca2+ is 1 µM and the Km of the Ca2+-ATPase is10 µM), it is clear that there would not be enough protein transporters (by a factor greater than 10) in the membranes of either the endo- or exodermis to support the previously measured Ca2+ flux. The dramatic discrepancies highlighted here by considering extreme cases illustrate the necessity of knowing, at sufficient accuracy, both kinetic parameters for plant Ca2+-ATPases and proportions of membrane protein that could be identified as Ca2+-pumps in cells that may be specialized in pumping this ion. There are animal cells that are highly specialized in Ca2+ pumping (see above). Garrahan and Rega (1990)
If Ca2+ were to be transported through plasmodesmata, then the membrane surface area available for its passage back into the apoplast would be greatly increased. In this study, the effects of adding the membrane surfaces of one extra layer to the endodermis and exodermis were explored. Although it was assumed that these cells did not have the elevated protein particle densities characteristic of the endodermal cells, when their plasmalemma surface areas were added to those of the endodermis and exodermis, the proportion of total protein particles that would need to be Ca2+-ATPase was substantially reduced (Table IV). However, in cases where a pump activity of 1% Vmax was assumed, the addition of another cell layer did not bring the required pump numbers below 100% of the total number of particles, except for one case that was still exceptionally high (Table IV).
If the symplastic movement were to involve more than one additional cell layer, the proportion of total membrane protein required to explain the flux of Ca2+ would become smaller. However, the idea of an increase of the area available for pumping implies that the movement of Ca2+ across plasmodesmata (either by diffusion or solvent drag) is not rate limiting. Furthermore, the problem with scenarios involving Ca2+ movement through plasmodesmata is that elevated levels of this ion are known to close these intercellular connections (Erwee and Goodwin, 1983
If we assume that ions other than Ca2+ eventually transported in the xylem move radially into the root stele symplastically, then the plasma membranes of the endodermis-pericycle-xylem parenchyma complex must be responsible for transferring them into the apoplast. In onion, all these cells are known to be connected by plasmodesmata (Ma and Peterson, 2001b
Kinetic data for Arabidopsis endodermal cells (from efflux of cytoplasmic Ca2+ following application of various stresses) does not agree well with that for onion. Using Figure 4(d) from Kiegle et al. (2000)
In earlier studies, White (1998
At present, it is not possible to completely solve the controversy of the pathway of Ca2+ movement to the xylem in terms of modeling its transport using kinetic data of Ca2+-ATPases of exo- and endodermal cells. Depending on the values assumed for various parameters, the results, nevertheless, indicate that such transport could possibly account for all the Ca2+ moving to the root stele. However, such a conclusion strongly rests on the grounds that there is sufficient protein present in the membrane. For a definitive answer, values need to be established for the following:
Proportions of membrane protein particles that would need to be Ca2+-ATPase to account for the transfer of Ca2+ to the stele of onion (Allium cepa) root, previously observed by Cholewa and Peterson (2004)
Adventitious roots of onion (Allium cepa L. cv Ebeneezer) were obtained from bulbs sprouted in vermiculite. Growth conditions were as previously described (Cholewa and Peterson, 2004
Young Root Zone
Old Root Zone Assuming that all Ca2+ destined for the stele passed through the membranes of the short, exodermal cells, the relevant area with Ca2+-ATPase would be on the cortical side of the short cells. Using the second assumption, namely that Ca2+ was transferred symplastically to the first rank of central cortical cells and then tangentially symplastically throughout this layer, the surface area of interest was the sum of plasma membranes of the exodermal short cells plus those of the first rank of central cortical cells.
The number of Ca2+-ATPase molecules required was calculated from the Ca2+ flux into the stele (i.e. the number of Ca2+ ions moved into the stele s1) and the activity (turnover) of each Ca2+-ATPase molecule (i.e. the number of Ca2+ ions moved across a plasmalemma by an individual Ca2+-ATPase molecule s1). The percent of the total membrane protein particles required to be Ca2+-ATPase to account for the observed Ca2+ flux was calculated from the above figure and the total number of protein particles in the membrane area through which the transport was assumed to occur.
We thank Prof. E. Steudle (University of Bayreuth, Germany) for his advice on mathematical and logistical aspects of this study, Dr. A. Bown (Brock University, Canada) for reading the manuscript, and Prof. D. Kleiner (University of Bayreuth, Germany) for helpful discussions. Received March 1, 2004; returned for revision June 9, 2004; accepted June 10, 2004.
1 This work was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant (to C.A.P.), and by an NSERC Undergraduate Scholarship, a University of Waterloo Undergraduate Research Internship, and a grant from the University of Waterloo work-placement program (to M.L.H.). Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.104.041889. * Corresponding author; e-mail cpeterso{at}uwaterloo.ca; fax 5197460614.
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