Lack of oxygen induces a cellular elevation of calcium from different stores in rice and wheat.

What is it about?

Calcium is an important signalling molecule under stress. An elevation of Ca within the cell cytosol leads to a complex cascade of different reactions. When rice and wheat seedlings were subjected to lack of oxygen, anoxia stress, there was a calcium increase in both root and leaf protoplasts, cells without cell walls and also in intact plants. This increase was larger in anoxia-tolerant rice than in anoxia-sensitive wheat and the amplitude depended in rice on the external concentration of calcium. We found that the Ca elevation in the cell cytosol was caused by transport of Ca from both the external medium and internal stores in the tolerant rice, but only from internal Ca stores in wheat. This fact was demonstrated by use of different inhibitors to calcium channels in the plasma membrane (external cell membrane) and inhibitors to internal ion channels.

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Why is it important?

Here we show that the Ca elevation under oxygen deficiency is higher in tolerant species than in sensitive ones and that Ca then is transported both from external and internal stores.

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