Voltage‐dependent calcium‐permeable channels in the plasma membrane of a higher plant cell.

Numerous biological assays and pharmacological studies on various higher plant tissues have led to the suggestion that voltage‐dependent plasma membrane Ca2+ channels play prominent roles in initiating signal transduction processes during plant growth and development. However, to date no direct evidence has been obtained for the existence of such depolarization‐activated Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane of higher plant cells. Carrot suspension cells (Daucus carota L.) provide a well‐suited system to determine whether voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels are present in the plasma membrane of higher plants and to characterize the properties of putative Ca2+ channels. It is known that both depolarization, caused by raising extracellular K+, and exposure to fungal toxins or oligogalacturonides induce Ca2+ influx into carrot cells. By direct application of patch‐clamp techniques to isolated carrot protoplasts, we show here that depolarization of the plasma membrane positive to ‐135 mV activates Ca(2+)‐permeable channels. These voltage‐dependent ion channels were more permeable to Ca2+ than K+, while displaying large permeabilities to Ba2+ and Mg2+ ions. Ca(2+)‐permeable channels showed slow and reversible inactivation. The single‐channel conductance was 13 pS in 40 mM CaCl2. These data provide direct evidence for the existence of voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane of a higher plant cell and point to physiological mechanisms for plant Ca2+ channel regulation. The depolarization‐activated Ca(2+)‐permeable channels identified here could constitute a regulated pathway for Ca2+ influx in response to physiologically occurring stimulus‐induced depolarizations in higher plant cells.