Poster: Intracellular Signaling

Abs # 819: The Effects of Ion Channel Blockers on Signal Transduction in Green Plants.

Presenter:	Volkov, Alexander G., gvolkov@oakwood.edu
Authors	Volkov, Alexander G. (A)   Dunkley, Tanya  (A)   Hampton, Talitha  (A)   Morgan, Simone  (A)   Osei, Albert J. (A)   Ruff, David  (A)
Affiliations:	(A): Oakwood College

Ion transport plays a fundamental role in many biophysical processes in plant cells. These processes include the generation of cell turgor, energy and signal transduction, waste product excretion, and metabolite distribution. Action potentials in higher plants are potential information carriers for intercellular and intracellular communication in the presence of environmental changes. The change in the condition of the plant is transferred as an impulse in a conducting bundle from the root system to the point of growth. The response reactions of plant tissues and organs can be local or transmitted from cell to cell over long distances. The transfer of excitation is complex and followed by an internal change in the cells and tissues. It has been found that tetraethylammonium chloride, a potassium channel inhibitor, blocks the propagation of action potentials induced by thermal or mechanical stresses in soybean plants. All electrochemical measurements can be conducted at a constant temperature inside a Faraday cage that is mounted on a vibration-stabilized table. An IBM-compatible microcomputer with a multi I/O plug-in data acquisition board NI6052E DAQ was interfaced through a NI SC-2040 Simultaneous Sample and Hold program with non-polarizable Ag/AgCl electrodes to record the digital data. The automatic measurements of the electrical potential difference can be effectively recorded and used in environmental plant electrophysiology for the study of molecular mechanisms of ion transport and the influence of external stimuli on plants.