M1: Signalling Flashcards
(231 cards)
Describe the concentration difference of Ca2+ across the plant cell
- Lower conc (nM) in the cytoplasm
- Higher conc (mM) in the apoplast, vacuole and ER
- Self regulation of Ca2+ concentrations occur in each organelle
What are the different ways to measure [Ca2+]? (4)
- Luminescence Indicators (Aequorin)
- Electrode (patch clamp)
- Chemical fluorescent Calcium Dyes (Fura-2)
- Genetically Encoded Calcium Indicators (CAMELEONs, GCaMP)
Describe the function of aequorin as a Ca2+ indicator
- Apoaequorin transformed into cells
- Binds to coeleterazine to become the active form aequorin
- Can bind up to 3 x Ca2+ in the EF hands
- Binding leads to oxidation reaction emitting blue light
= Intensity is proportional to the conc of Ca2+
What are the positives and negatives of using aequorin?
Positives
- Non-invasive
- Wide calcium detection range
- Quantitative measure
- Low background signal
- Low phototoxicity, doesn’t require external excitation
Negatives
- Irreversible (use once)
- Lower sensititivity
What are the adv and disadvantages of using electrophysiology to measure [Ca2+]?
Adv
- Direct measurements of Ca currents are taken as channels are being measured
Disadv
- Difficult to accurately place the electrodes in the cell
- Takes time to reach resting potentials
- Invasive and disruptive
Describe the function of Ca2+ indicators
- Derived from Ca2+ chelators that bind to Ca2+
- Can be chemical (Fura-2) or genetically encoded (GCaMP, GFP, CAMELEONs)
- Upon binding to Ca2+ the structures undergo an optical change and emit different fluorescence
What are advantages and disadvantages of calcium indicators?
Adv
- Real time monitoring
- High sensitivity
- Non- invasive
- Versatile
Disadvantages
- Phototoxicity + Photobleaching
- Background noise
- Interference with functions e.g. high conc of Ca2+ buffer will reduce signal strength etc.
Compare Calcium Green and Fura-2
- Number of peaks formed
Calcium green (1), Fura-2 (2) - Measurements
Fura-2 requires rapid flipping between two filters to measure intensity then carry out a ratio metric analysis = MORE ACCURATE/ QUANTITATIVE
Calcium green fluorescence levels is then directly used to analyse concentrations = QUALITATIVE
Describe the structure and function of CAMELEONs
CFP - cyan fluorescent protein
YFP - yellow fluorescent protein
CaM - calmodulin (binds to Ca2+)
M13 - peptide that binds to CaM in the presence of Ca2+
- Presence of calcium leads to binding of CaM and M13, bringing YFP closer to CFP leading to different wavelengths being released. Instead of cyan it is yellow
Describe the structure and function of GCaMP
- GFP-based calcium indicator
- enhanced GFP (eGFP) encoded backwards
- CaM and M13 present
In the presence of Ca2+ M13 binds to CaM causing circular permutation in the gene structure and allows for coding of EGFP, which then emits fluorescence - Not ratiometric, however, lack of fluorescence indicates lack of Ca2+
What are the 6 different plant hormones and their roles?
Auxin - cell elongation, apical dominance
Gibberellins - stem elongation
Cytokinins - cell division (Active form as tZR), leaf senescence
Brassinosteroids - cell elongation and division
ABA - stress response
Strigolactones - microbial signalling
What is cross-talk?
Overlap between two different signals, that converge at a node and generate an integrated response
What is the meaning of ectopic expression?
Expression of a gene where it isn’t normally found e.g. not in roots or shoots
Or expression in a different species
- Used to show similarities and function of the gene
What are the characteristics of signalling networks?
- Appropriately sensitive to the stimulus
- Specific to stimulus
- Propagating signal
- Robust
- Refractory (switch on and off)
How do proteins transfer information?
- Conformational change
- change in shape leads to downstream signalling e.g. kinases - Covalent modification
- Transfer of functional group e.g. phosphate via kinases and phosphatases
What are the characteristics of the components (receptors etc.) in the signalling pathway?
- Position
- Sensitivity (Kd)
- Specificity
- Capacity to relay
- Timing
Give an example of cross-talk and sharing of co-factors
- FLS2 shares the co-factor BAK1, with BRI1
- Involved with brassinosteroid signalling
- Epidermal kymograph shows lack of clustering, even though they have the same co-factor
What is the scaffold hypothesis?
- Tether signalling components from various pathways
- Co-ordinates +ve and -ve feedback signals
- Insulating correct signalling proteins preventing inactivation
e.g. FERONIA that brings FLS2 and EFR to meet BAK1, in response to flg22 (Stegmann et al., 2017)
Give examples of positive and negative feedback loops with FLS2
Positive
- flg22 binds and activates FLS2 which activates WRKY22/29 to activate their own production
- FLS2 initiates MAPK pathway, increasing SA which enhances expression of FLS2
Negative
- Activation of negative regulatoes, targeting FLS2 for ubiquitination leading to endocytosis. Preventing excessive energy expediture or autoimmunity
- Or ABA increasing NO production which then deactivate ABA receptors
What are the causes for [Ca2+] cyt increase?
- Abiotic stress
- Biotic stress
- Symbiotic signals
- Hormones
- Signalling intermediates (ROS, NO, cAMP)
What experiments can be done to find out where Ca2+ is derived from?
- Blocking channels
- Lanthanum ions, similar radius to Ca2+ can bind and block - Chelating Ca2+
- EGTA to Ca2+ to prevent movement - Calcium channel mutants
- knock out CNGCs (mutation in CNGC11/12 activates defence responses) or TPC1 (high extracellular [Ca2+] led to stomatal closure in WT and overexpressor, but the tpc1 mutant was unresponsive. (Peiter et al., 2005))
How can specificity be generated in Ca2+ signals?
- Cell specific promoters/ transporters
- Monophasic/Biphasic/ Oscillatory signals
- Amplitude of the signal
- Duration and frequency
What Ca2+ changes occur in chloroplasts?
- Thylakoids a greater store of Ca2+ compared to the stroma
- Changes in Ca2+ in response to light (circadian) controlling photosynthesis
– Aequorin based experiment showed that stroma Ca2+ responds differently to same stress
What evidence is there that nuclear Ca2+ changes differ to cytosolic Ca2+ changes?
Addition of oomycete PAMP (cryptogein) leads to slower increase in Ca2+ in nucleus, compared to the cytosol
- Nuclear Ca2+ oscillations can occur independent of cytosolic oscillations, indicating distinction between the two
- Another reasoning for differences, is that the nucleus Ca2+ changes have an effect on gene expression, while cytosolic changes have an effect on ion movements