title: Laser microsurgery of higher plant cell walls permits patch-clamp access.
abstract: Plasma membranes of guard cells in epidermal peels of Vicia faba and Commelina communis can be made accessible to a patch-clamp pipet by removing a small portion (1-3 micrometers in diameter) of the guard cell wall using a microbeam of ultraviolet light generated by a nitrogen laser. Using this laser microsurgical technique, we have measured channel activity across plasma membranes of V. faba guard cells in both cell-attached and isolated patch configurations. Measurements made in the inside-out patch configuration revealed two distinct K(+)-selective channels. Major advantages of the laser microsurgical technique include the avoidance of enzymatic protoplast isolation, the ability to study cell types that have been difficult to isolate as protoplasts or for which enzymatic isolation protocols result in protoplasts not amenable to patch-clamp studies, the maintenance of positional information in single-channel measurements, reduced disruption of cell-wall-mediated signaling pathways, and the ability to investigate intercellular signaling through studies of cells remaining situated within tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USA.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brownlee
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Assmann
mesh_terms: D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000502:physiology; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000502:physiology; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D007834:Lasers; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D008866:Microsurgery; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D019441:Plant Epidermis / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D011523:Protoplasts / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels