The Plant Vacuole as Heterologous System to Characterize the Functional Properties of TPC Channels

Dietrich P, Gradogna A, Carpaneto A (2023)


Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology

Book Volume: 278

Pages Range: 235-247

DOI: 10.1007/164_2022_604

Abstract

Human TPC channels are an emerging family of intracellular proteins fundamental for cell physiology and involved in various severe pathologies. Their localization in the membranes of endo-lysosomes, intracellular compartments of submicrometric dimensions, makes their study difficult with usual electrophysiological techniques. In this work, we show how the plant vacuole, a versatile organelle that can occupy up to 90% of the volume in mature plant cells, can be used as a heterologous system of expression for functional characterization. For this purpose, the use of vacuoles isolated from mesophyll cells of the Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lacking the endogenous TPC avoids unwanted interferences. The patch-clamp technique can be successfully applied to plant vacuoles in all different configuration modes; of note, the whole-vacuole configuration allows to study channel modulation by cytosolic factors. The combination of patch-clamp with fluorescence techniques, for example, by using fluorescent probes sensitive to specific ions of interest, represents a useful extension to investigate the selectivity properties of the channels. Therefore, the plant vacuole, similar to Xenopus oocytes for ion channels and transporters localized in the plasma membrane, has the capability to become a model system for functional studies on intracellular ion channels and transporters.

Authors with CRIS profile

How to cite

APA:

Dietrich, P., Gradogna, A., & Carpaneto, A. (2023). The Plant Vacuole as Heterologous System to Characterize the Functional Properties of TPC Channels. In (pp. 235-247). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.

MLA:

Dietrich, Petra, A. Gradogna, and A. Carpaneto. "The Plant Vacuole as Heterologous System to Characterize the Functional Properties of TPC Channels." Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023. 235-247.

BibTeX: Download