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KCO1 is a component of the slow-vacuolar (SV) ion channel
Gerald Schönknecht1, Petra Spoormaker, Ralf Steinmeyer
1Julius-von-Sachs-Institut für Biowissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Molekulare Pfanzenphysiologie und Biophysik, Universität Würzburg, 97082 Würzburg, Germany.
Abstract:
The Arabidopsis double pore K+ channel KCO1 was fused to green fluorescent protein and expressed in tobacco protoplasts. Microscopic analysis revealed a bright green fluorescence at the vacuolar membrane. RT-PCR experiments showed that KCO1 is expressed in the mesophyll. Vacuoles from Arabidopsis wild-type and kco1 knockout plants were isolated for patch-clamp analyses. Currents mediated by slow-activating vacuolar (SV) channels of mesophyll cell vacuoles were significantly smaller in kco1 plants compared to the wild-type. This shows that KCO1 is involved in the formation of SV channels.