Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

Measuring Spatial and Temporal Ca2+ Signals in Arabidopsis Plants
Published on: September 2, 2014
Calcium spiking in plant root hairs responding to Rhizobium nodulation signals
D W Ehrhardt1, R Wais, S R Long
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305-5020, USA.
Summary:
Rhizobium lipochitooligosaccharide signal molecules stimulate multiple responses in legume host plants, including changes in host gene expression, cell growth, and mitoses leading to root nodule development. The basis for signal transduction in the plant is not known. We examined cytoplasmic free calcium in host root hairs using calcium-sensitive reporter dyes. Image analysis of injected dyes revealed localized periodic spikes in cytoplasmic calcium levels that ensued after a characteristic lag following signal application. Structural features of the signal molecules required to cause nodulation responses in alfalfa are also essential for stimulating calcium spiking. A nonnodulating alfalfa mutant is defective in calcium spiking, consistent with the possibility that this mutant is blocked in an early stage of nodulation signal perception.
Related Concept Videos
Short-distance Transport of Resources
Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Cell Signaling in Plants
Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...
Microbe-Plant Interactions

