Respiring mitochondria maintain a membrane potential (⌬⌿) 1 of Ϫ150 to Ϫ180 mV (⌬⌿, inside negative). This high ⌬⌿ constitutes a large driving force for the electrophoretic influx of cations, either through specific channels or by diffusion through the membrane. Several cation channels have been characterized physiologically (reviewed in Refs. 1 and 2), and recently, a single one has been identified molecularly (3). These transport systems seem to have intrinsic control mechanisms which ensure that the matrix cation concentrations stay within physiological ranges, far below chemical equilibrium.Diffusive permeability of the inner mitochondrial membrane to ions is generally low but physiologically significant, as it lowers the pH gradient and membrane potential. Moreover, if not counteracted by extrusion, steadily increasing concentrations of matrix cations (and of compensating anions) will lead to an imbalance of osmotic pressure across the inner mitochondrial membrane. As a consequence, water will pass through the membrane, causing excessive swelling and eventual rupture of the organelle (1, 2, 4).As first proposed by P. Mitchell (5), mitochondria have carrier systems allowing the electroneutral exchange of cations against H ϩ (and anions against OH Ϫ ). These exchangers counteract the ⌬⌿-driven cation leakage of the membrane and also cation imbalances due to changes in mitochondrial physiology. Mitochondrial cation distribution is, therefore, a steady state, in which the accumulation ratio is modulated by the relative rates of cation influx and efflux by means of separate pathways.Many physiological studies have been devoted to cation/H ϩ exchange systems (reviewed in Ref.

Dividing plant cells perform a remarkable task of building a new cell wall within the cytoplasm in a few minutes. A long-standing paradigm claims that this primordial cell wall, known as the cell plate, is generated by delivery of newly synthesized material from Golgi apparatus-originated secretory vesicles. Here, we show that, in diverse plant species, cell surface material, including plasma membrane proteins, cell wall components, and exogenously applied endocytic tracers, is rapidly delivered to the forming cell plate. Importantly, this occurs even when de novo protein synthesis is blocked. In addition, cytokinesis-specific syntaxin KNOLLE as well as plasma membrane (PM) resident proteins localize to endosomes that fuse to initiate the cell plate. The rate of endocytosis is strongly enhanced during cell plate formation, and its genetic or pharmacological inhibition leads to cytokinesis defects. Our results reveal that endocytic delivery of cell surface material significantly contributes to cell plate formation during plant cytokinesis.

(D.W.M.) Brefeldin A (BFA) inhibits exocytosis but allows endocytosis, making it a valuable agent to identify molecules that recycle at cell peripheries. In plants, formation of large intracellular compartments in response to BFA treatment is a unique feature of some, but not all, cells. Here, we have analyzed assembly and distribution of BFA compartments in development-and tissue-specific contexts of growing maize (Zea mays) root apices. Surprisingly, these unique compartments formed only in meristematic cells of the root body. On the other hand, BFA compartments were absent from secretory cells of root cap periphery, metaxylem cells, and most elongating cells, all of which are active in exocytosis. We report that cell wall pectin epitopes counting rhamnogalacturonan II dimers cross-linked by borate diol diester, partially esterified (up to 40%) homogalacturonan pectins, and (134)-␤-d-galactan side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I were internalized into BFA compartments. In contrast, Golgi-derived secretory (esterified up to 80%) homogalacturonan pectins localized to the cytoplasm in control cells and did not accumulate within characteristic BFA compartments. Latrunculin B-mediated depolymerization of F-actin inhibited internalization and accumulation of cell wall pectins within intracellular BFA compartments. Importantly, cold treatment and protoplasting prevented internalization of wall pectins into root cells upon BFA treatment. These observations suggest that cell wall pectins of meristematic maize root cells undergo rapid endocytosis in an F-actin-dependent manner.Eukaryotic cells perform endomembrane flow accomplished by vesicles shuttling among endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus (GA), the plasma membrane (PM), and endosomes (for plants see Robinson et al., 1998; Hawes et al., 1999). These compartments and pathways of endomembrane flow are highly conserved in unicellular yeast, higher plants, and animals (for plant cells, see Robinson et al., 1998; Hawes et al., 1999). A major breakthrough in our current understanding of this complex endomembrane flow was provided by rediscovery of the fungal metabolite brefeldin A (BFA; Fujiwara et al., 1988). BFA action prevents vesicle formation in the exocytosis pathway by stabilizing abortive complexes between conserved ADP ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) and the Sec7 domain of its guanine nucleotide exchange factor during the assembly of coat protein complexes of budding vesicles (for plants see, Pimpl et al., 2000;Robineau et al., 2000). Because of this action, BFA inhibits anterograde vesicular pathways while allowing endocytosis and some retrograde pathways to proceed further (Miller et al., 1992; Gaynor et al., 1998; Belanger and Quatrano, 2000). Moreover, BFA inhibits the endosome to vacuole transport in budding yeast (Gaynor et al., 1998).The introduction of BFA to investigate the cell biology of endomembrane flow in plant cells occurred some years later (Satiat-Jeunemaitre and Hawes, 1992), but most of the major findings concerning the effects of...