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An integrative view on vacuolar pH homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana : Combining mathematical modeling and experimentation
Author(s) -
Holzheu Pascal,
Krebs Melanie,
Larasati Catharina,
Schumacher Karin,
Kummer Ursula
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the plant journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.058
H-Index - 269
eISSN - 1365-313X
pISSN - 0960-7412
DOI - 10.1111/tpj.15251
Subject(s) - vacuole , arabidopsis , v atpase , antiporters , microbiology and biotechnology , endosome , arabidopsis thaliana , electrochemical gradient , proton pump , proton transport , atpase , biophysics , biology , chemistry , biochemistry , plant cell , bafilomycin , mutant , membrane , antiporter , enzyme , gene , autophagy , cytoplasm , intracellular , apoptosis
SUMMARY The acidification of plant vacuoles is of great importance for various physiological processes, as a multitude of secondary active transporters utilize the proton gradient established across the vacuolar membrane. Vacuolar‐type H + ‐translocating ATPases and a pyrophosphatase are thought to enable vacuoles to accumulate protons against their electrochemical potential. However, recent studies pointed to the ATPase located at the trans‐Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE) to contribute to vacuolar acidification in a manner not understood as of now. Here, we combined experimental data and computational modeling to test different hypotheses for vacuolar acidification mechanisms. For this, we analyzed different models with respect to their ability to describe existing experimental data. To better differentiate between alternative acidification mechanisms, new experimental data have been generated. By fitting the models to the experimental data, we were able to prioritize the hypothesis in which vesicular trafficking of Ca 2+ /H + ‐antiporters from the TGN/EE to the vacuolar membrane and the activity of ATP‐dependent Ca 2+ ‐pumps at the tonoplast might explain the residual acidification observed in Arabidopsis mutants defective in vacuolar proton pump activity. The presented modeling approach provides an integrative perspective on vacuolar pH regulation in Arabidopsis and holds potential to guide further experimental work.