Potassium Transport in Suspension Culture Cells and Protoplasts of Carrot

The properties of potassium transport in carrot ( Daucus carota L.) suspension culture cells and their isolated protoplasts were examined. Cells cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (Plant Physiol 15: 473-497) were potassium saturated and, consequently, they exhibited little net potassium accumulation. Cells that transport and accumulate potassium were derived from the MS-grown cells by culturing them in a potassium-free modified medium. The transport properties of the modified medium cells included: (a) smooth nonsaturating kinetics with 80% of the maximum rates occurring at 0.1 millimolar KCl, (b) linear transport for at least 75 min, (c) alkaline pH optimum, (d) little accompanying anion uptake with increased malate concentrations balancing net increases in positive charge, and (3) little effect on transport by plasmolysis. Potassium transport activity appeared to be 50% lower in protoplasts isolated from the modified medium cells. Nevertheless, the protoplasts exhibited essentially the same kinetics, time course, pH response, and malate adjustment as the intact cells. We concluded from these results that the low potassium cells and their isolated protoplasts are ideally suited to investigating potassium transport at the cell level without the complications associated with multilayered and highly differentiated tissues.