Involvement of intracellular Ca2+ in blue light-dependent proton pumping in guard cell protoplasts from Vicia faba

Recent studies have suggested that Ca²⁺/calmodulin (CaM) or CaM-like proteins may be involved in blue light (BL)-dependent proton pumping in guard cells. As the increase in cytosolic concentration of Ca²⁺ is required for the activation of CaM and CaM-like proteins, the origin of the Ca²⁺ was investigated by measuring BL-dependent proton pumping with various treatments using guard cell protoplasts (GCPs) from Vicia faba . BL-dependent proton pumping was affected neither by Ca²⁺ channel blockers nor by changes of Ca²⁺ concentration in the medium used for the GCPs. Addition of Ca²⁺ ionophores and an agonist to GCPs did not induce proton pumping. However, BL-dependent proton pumping was inhibited by 10 m M caffeine, which releases Ca²⁺ from the intracellular stores, and by 10 μ M 2,5-di-( tert -butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (BHQ) and 10 μ M cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), inhibitors of Ca²⁺-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). By contrast, the inhibitions were not observed by 10 μ M thapsigargin, an inhibitor of animal ER-type Ca²⁺-ATPase. The inhibitions by caffeine and BHQ were reversible. Light-dependent stomatal opening in the epidermis of Vicia was inhibited by caffeine, BHQ, and CPA. From these results, we conclude that the Ca²⁺ thought to be required for BL-dependent proton pumping may originate from intracellular Ca²⁺ stores, most likely from ER in guard cells, and that this origin of Ca²⁺ may generate a stimulus-specific Ca²⁺ signal for stomatal opening.     

Silencing of NtMPK4 impairs CO-induced stomatal closure, activation of anion channels and cytosolic Casignals in Nicotiana tabacum guard cells

Light-induced stomatal opening in C3 and C4 plants is mediated by two signalling pathways. One pathway is specific for blue light and involves phototropins, while the second pathway depends on photosyntheticaly active radiation (PAR). Here, the role of Nt MPK4 in light-induced stomatal opening was studied, as silencing of this MAP kinase stimulates stomatal opening. Stomata of Nt MPK4-silenced plants do not close in elevated atmospheric CO₂, and show a reduced response to PAR. However, stomatal closure can still be induced by abscisic acid. Measurements using multi-barrelled intracellular micro-electrodes showed that CO₂ activates plasma membrane anion channels in wild-type Nicotiana tabacum guard cells, but not in Nt MPK4-silenced cells. Anion channels were also activated in wild-type guard cells after switching off PAR. In approximately half of these cells, activation of anion channels was accompanied by an increase in the cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration. The activity of anion channels was higher in cells showing a parallel increase in cytosolic Ca²⁺ than in those with steady Ca²⁺ levels. Both the darkness-induced anion channel activation and Ca²⁺ signals were repressed in Nt MPK4-silenced guard cells. These data show that CO₂ and darkness can activate anion channels in a Ca²⁺-independent manner, but the anion channel activity is enhanced by parallel increases in the cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration. Nt MPK4 plays an essential role in CO₂- and darkness-induced activation of guard-cell anion channels, through Ca²⁺-independent as well as Ca²⁺-dependent signalling pathways.     

Influence of exogenously supplied potassium and sodium salts on the abscisic acid-induced proline accumulation in barley leaf segments

A stimulation of the abscisic acid (ABA)-induced increase in proline was observed in leaf segments of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Georgie) if K⁺ or Na⁺ were supplied in the external medium as salts of monovalent anions such as NO₃, Br, Cr and I, but not when sulphate or phosphate were used. To a lesser extent, the effect was evident also with RbCl, but it did not occur when chlorides of Li⁺. Cs⁺, NH₄⁺, Mg:⁺ and Ca²⁺ were used. Both KC1 and NaCl in the concentration range 2–100 m M influence the ABA-dependent proline accumulation to the same extent; the increase induced was about 100% at 10 m M , and reached a maximum between 60 and 100 m M. The effect is not due to the osmotic activity of the salts and does not seem to depend on changes in K⁺ and Na⁺ levels within the leaf tissue, but it is somehow linked to their external concentration. The existence of a specific interaction between ABA and K⁺ or Na⁺, possibly at the cell membrane level, is proposed.     

Effects of Ca2+ and polyamines on Na+ and Rb+ influx in excised maize roots

When 1 m M spermidine or spermine was included in an absorption solution which contained 20 m M Na⁺ and 1 m M Rb⁺, Na⁺ influx into excised maize roots ( Zea mays L. cv. Golden Cross Bantam) was reduced. Rb⁺ influx was reduced in the presence of spermidine and uneffected in the presence of spermine when compared with control solutions. When 1 m M Ca²⁺ replaced the polyamines, Na⁺ influx was strongly reduced and Rb⁺ influx was promoted. Rb⁺ influx from 1 m M Rb⁺ solutions which did not contain Na⁺ was also promoted by 1 m M Ca²⁺, but was inhibited by 1 m M spermidine. This Ca²⁺ promotion of Rb⁺ influx could be reversed by 10 times greater concentration of spermidine in the absorption solution. H⁺ efflux from excised roots was inhibited by spermidine when compared with Ca²⁺ or control solutions, however, the plasma membrane ATPase was not inhibited by spermidine. It is concluded that external Ca²⁺ plays two separate roles in membrane function, only one of which can be substituted for by polyamines. The first role, maintenance of membrane integrity, can be substituted for by spermidine or spermine. The second function, maintenance of the Rb⁺ transport mechanism, is Ca²⁺ specific and cannot be substituted for by spermidine or spermine. The results of this study are discussed in terms of electrostatic interactions between the plasma membrane and the Ca²⁺ or polyamines.     

Signalling gates in abscisic acid-mediated control of guard cell ion channels

Multiple signalling pathways and their messengers – entailing changes in cytosolic-free Ca²⁺([Ca²⁻]). pH (pH) and protein phosphorylation – underpin K⁺and anion channel control during stomatal movements. This redundancy is wholly consistent with the ability of the guard cells to integrate the wide range of environmental and hormonal stimuli that affect stomatal aperture. Signal redundancy effects a spectrum of graded responses by linking pathways to gate signal transmission, and so boosts or mutes the final 'integrated signal' that reaches each ion channel. All evidence supports a role for the AB11 protein phosphatase and protein kinase elements in gating K⁺channel sensitivity to pH and ABA. Changes in [Ca²⁺] I . in turn, are demonstrably sensitive to pH₁. Because each of these signal elements modulate and, in turn, are influenced by the activity of different sets of ion channels, the additional couplings engender a remarkably complex network, layering positive and negative controls with the ion channels that facilitate ion fluxes for stomatal movement.     

The effect of a calcium-channel antagonist, nifedipine and agonist, Bay K-8644, on the phytochrome-controlled swelling of etiolated wheat protoplasts

The effect of external Ca²⁺ and Ca²⁺-channel modulators on the phytochrome-controlled swelling of etiolated wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. cv. Arminda) mesophyll protoplasts has been studied. The red light (R)-stimulated swelling of the protoplasts requires Ca²⁺ in the surrounding medium and maximum response was observed in a medium containing I m M CaCI₂. Far-red light (FR) irradiation of protoplasts in the presence or absence of Ca²⁺ does not influence the protoplast volume. The Ca²⁺-channel antagonist nifedipine prevents R-induced protoplast swelling at very low concentrations (0.1 μ M ). The Ca²⁺ -channel agonist Bay K-8644 stimulates the swelling of protoplasts incubated in darkness or irradiated with FR. Action of nifedipine depends on whether it is applied before or after the R pulse. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that phytochrome controls the activity of dihydropyridine-sensitive L-type Ca²⁺ channels.     

The influences of calcium and magnesium ions on the exchange of monovalent cations in Neurospora crassa

Low-K⁺, high-Na⁺ cells of strain RL21a of Neurospora crassa , in steady state with 25 m M Na⁺, were used to study K⁺/Na⁺ exchanges in the presence or absence of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. In the presence of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, a low concentration of K⁺ (0.3 m M ) triggered a rapid exchange, but in the absence of the divalents, a high K⁺ concentration (30 m M ) was required to initiate the exchange at a rapid rate. In the absence of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, K⁺ uptake did not occur at low K⁺ concentration, internal K⁺ did not regulate Na⁺ influx in the presence of external K⁺, and the efflux of Na⁺ proceeded at maximum activity at very low-K⁺ contents.     

Calcium regulation of exogenous and endogenous 1-aminocylopropane-1-carboxylic acid bioconversion to ethylene

Ethylene production and overall levels of free and conjugated 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) were studied in parenchymatous tissues, excised from clmacteric apples ( Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Granny Smith) and infiltrated with an incubation medium containing 0, 1, 10 or 100 m M Ca²⁺, with or without exogenous ACC (2 m M ). Irrespective of whether exogenous ACC was applied or not, ethylene production was inhibited to the same extent (40%) by an apoplastic effect of 100 m M Ca²⁺. In the absence of external ACC, the inhibition was associated with an increase in total endogenous ACC and may be related to a reduction in the rate of the last step of ethylene pathway. This suggests that the ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE) is localized in the plasma membrane. Low Ca²⁺ concentrations (1 m M ) enhanced basal ethylene synthesis due to influx of Ca²⁺ into the cytosol, while overall concentrations of ACC in the tissue decreased. However, 1 m M Ca²⁺ did not stimulate ACC-dependent ethylene formation. Thus, Ca²⁺ influx may stimulate the translocation of endogenous ACC from synthesis or storage compartment (s) to reactive site(s) of the plasma membrane. The concentration of 10 m M Ca²⁺ had no effect on basal ethylene production and appears to represent a balance point between the stimulating and inhibiting effects of 1 and 100 m M Ca²⁺, respectively, Furthermore, the charge-times of exogenous ACC observed with 0, 1 and 10 m M Ca²⁺ suggest that EFE is located on the inner side of the plasma membrane.     

Contribution of endoplasmic reticulum to Ca(2+) signals in Dictyostelium depends on extracellular Ca(2+)

We recently reported the first molecular genetic evidence that Dictyostelium Ca²⁺ responses to chemoattractants include a contribution from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – responses are enhanced in mutants lacking calreticulin or calnexin, two major Ca²⁺-binding proteins in the ER, even though the influx of Ca²⁺ into the mutants is reduced. Compared with wild-type cells, the ER in the mutants contributes at least 30–70 nM additional Ca²⁺ to the responses. Here we report that this additional ER contribution to the cytosolic Ca²⁺ signal depends upon extracellular Ca²⁺– it does not occur in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺, increases to a maximum as the extracellular Ca²⁺ levels rise to 10 μM and then remains constant at extracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations up to at least 250 μM. These results suggest that Ca²⁺ influx causes the intracellular release, in the simplest scenario by a mechanism involving Ca²⁺-induced Ca²⁺ release from the ER. By way of contrast, we show that Ca²⁺ responses to mechanical stimulation are reduced, but still occur in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺. Unlike the responses to chemoattractants, mechanoresponses thus include contributions from the ER that are independent of extracellular Ca²⁺.     

The response of stomata to CO2 relates to its effect on respiration and ATP level

External ATP enhanced stomatal opening of Commelina communis L. differently from EDTA. ATP was more effective in opening stomata than EDTA, when both were applied in amounts yielding equivalent free Ca²⁺ concentration. The stimulation by ATP depended upon its de-phosphorylation and was not due to the P₁ released. Hence an energetical contribution of external ATP appears possible. Increase in CO₂ concentration increased the stimulation of stomatal opening by ATP and diminished the internal ATP level, ATP/(ADP+AMP) ratio and respiration rate.     

NaCl-induced changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ in Arabidopsis thaliana are heterogeneous and modified by external ionic composition

Increases in cytosolic free Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) are common to many stress-activated signalling pathways, including the response to saline environments. We have investigated the nature of NaCl-induced [Ca²⁺]_cyt signals in whole Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings using aequorin. We found that NaCl-induced increases in [Ca²⁺]_cyt are heterogeneous and mainly restricted to the root. Both the concentration of NaCl and the composition of the solution bathing the root have profound effects on the magnitude and dynamics of NaCl-induced increases in [Ca²⁺]_cyt. Alteration of external K⁺ concentration caused changes in the temporal and spatial pattern of [Ca²⁺]_cyt increase, providing evidence for Na⁺-induced Ca²⁺ influx across the plasma membrane. The effects of various pharmacological agents on NaCl-induced increases in [Ca²⁺]_cyt indicate that NaCl may induce influx of Ca²⁺ through both plasma membrane and intracellular Ca²⁺-permeable channels. Analysis of spatiotemporal [Ca²⁺]_cyt dynamics using photon-counting imaging revealed additional levels of complexity in the [Ca²⁺]_cyt signal that may reflect the oscillatory nature of NaCl-induced changes in single cells.     

Blue light‐induced apoplastic acidification of Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells: Inhibition by ABA is mediated through protein phosphatases

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits blue light‐induced apoplastic acidification of guard cells. The signal transduction pathway of ABA, mediating this response, was studied using ABA‐insensitive ( abi ) mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana . Apoplastic acidification was monitored with a flat tipped pH‐electrode placed on epidermal strips, in which only guard cells were viable. Blue light‐induced apoplastic acidification was reduced by vanadate and diethylstilbestrol (DES), indicating involvement of plasma membrane‐bound H⁺‐ATPases. In wild type epidermal strips, ABA reduced blue light‐induced acidification to 63%. The inhibition did not result from an increased cytoplasmic free Ca²⁺ concentration in guard cells, since factors that increase the Ca²⁺ concentration stimulated apoplastic acidification. Apoplastic acidification was not inhibited by ABA in abi1 and abi2 mutants. In abi1 epidermal strips ABA had no effect on the acidification rate, while it stimulated apoplastic acidification in abi2 . The ABA response in both mutants could be partially restored with protein kinase and phosphatase inhibitors. The abi1 guard cells became ABA responsive in the presence of okadaic acid, a protein phosphatase inhibitor. In abi2 guard cells the wild type ABA response was partially restored by K‐252a, a protein kinase inhibitor. Apoplastic inhibition is thus mediated through the protein phosphatases encoded by ABI1 and ABI2 . The results with protein kinase and protein phosphatase inhibitors indicate that ABI1 and ABI2 are involved in separate signal transduction pathways.     

Plasma membrane-associated proline-rich extensin-like receptor kinase 4, a novel regulator of Ca2+ signalling, is required for abscisic acid responses in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant roots respond to environmental stresses or the exogenous plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) by undergoing marked physiological and morphological changes. We show here that PERK4 , a gene that encodes a member of the Arabidopsis thaliana proline-rich extensin-like receptor kinase family, plays an important role in ABA responses. Mutation of PERK4 by T-DNA insertion decreased sensitivity to ABA with respect to seed germination, seedling growth and primary root tip growth. The effect on root growth was due to enhanced cell elongation rather than cell division. The cytosolic free calcium concentration and Ca²⁺ channel currents were lower in perk4 root cells than in wild-type cells in the presence of ABA. Root growth was similar in wild-type and perk4 plants after the application of a Ca²⁺ channel blocker. PERK4 localised to the plasma membrane, and was shown to be an ABA- and Ca²⁺-activated protein kinase. Our data suggest that the receptor-like kinase encoded by PERK4 functions at an early stage of ABA signalling to inhibit root cell elongation by perturbing Ca²⁺ homeostasis.     

Calmodulin/Ca2+-ATPase interaction at the Arabidopsis thaliana plasma membrane is dependent on calmodulin isoform showing isoform-specific Ca2+ dependencies

Arabidopsis thaliana plasma membrane (PM) Ca²⁺-ATPase is a type IIB P-type ATPase, which binds calmodulin (CaM) to an autoinhibitory N-terminal domain. Here, we took advantage of the fact that PM isolated from cultured cells mainly contains At -ACA8, the first cloned A. thaliana PM Ca²⁺-ATPase, to analyse its interaction with CaM in detail. Analysis of the ability of different peptides designed from At -ACA8 N-terminus to compete with the native protein for binding of bovine brain CaM (bbCaM) showed that peptide ⁴¹I-T⁶³ had the same affinity of the native protein [apparent dissociation constant (KD) at 10 µ M free Ca²⁺ about 25 n M ], thus localizing At -ACA8 CaM-binding site within this sequence. The interaction of At -ACA8 N-terminus with bbCaM, as determined by surface plasmon resonance, was rapid, and slowly but was fully reversible. Analysis of Ca²⁺-ATPase activation as a function of the concentration of different isoforms of A. thaliana CaM showed that Ca²⁺-ATPase is activated to similar extent by bbCaM and by different isoforms of homologous CaM. However, the affinity for the divergent A. thaliana isoform CaM8 was lower than that for canonical CaM isoforms such as A. thaliana CaM2, CaM4 and CaM6 or bbCaM. The apparent KD for CaM isoforms of the native enzyme increased with the decrease of free Ca²⁺ concentration, suggesting that enzyme conformation is affected by Ca²⁺. Binding of CaM isoforms to At -ACA8 N-terminus was affected differently by free Ca²⁺ concentration, suggesting that plant CaMs may have different affinities for Ca²⁺.     

Glutamate Receptor-Mediated Calcium Surges in Neurons Derived from P19 Cells

Abstract: Retinoic acid-treated murine P19 embryonal carcinoma cells differentiate into cells with neuronal morphology that display typical neuronal markers. In this study, the presence of glutamate receptors linked to Ca²⁺-signaling mechanisms on these neurons was demonstrated by testing the effects of glutamate agonists and antagonists on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i). Glutamate (1 m M ) induced either sustained or transient increases in [Ca²⁺]_i. The sustained glutamate-induced increase in [Ca²⁺]_i was mimicked by NMDA (40 µ M ). The NMDA-triggered [Ca²⁺]_i response was abolished by incubating the cells in Ca²⁺-free medium or by pretreating them with Mg²⁺ (2 m M ) or MK-801 (0.1 µ M ). These responses were unaffected by the non-NMDA antagonist CNQX (10 µ M ), but they required glycine (3–30 µ M ). Kainate (40 µ M ) and AMPA (40 µ M ) did not affect [Ca²⁺]_i. Without external Ca²⁺, glutamate triggered transient, sometimes oscillating, increases in [Ca²⁺]_i. These responses were mimicked by the metabotropic agonist trans -(1 S ,3 R )-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (300 µ M ). These results suggest that neurons derived from P19 embryonal carcinoma cells have NMDA and metabotropic, but not AMPA/kainate receptors, which are linked to Ca²⁺-signaling mechanisms. These cells could provide a consistent and reproducible model with which to study neuronal differentiation, neurotoxicity, and glutamate receptor-signaling mechanisms.     

Ca2+ dependence and La3+ interference of ultraviolet radiationinduced K+ efflux from rose cells

A low fluence of ultraviolet radiation (UV) causes cultured cells of Rosa damascena Mill cv. Gloire de Guilan to lose intracellular K⁺. This effect required the presence of Ca²⁺ in the medium. A reduction in the concentration of free Ca²⁺ to 10⁻⁵ M with ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-aminoethyl-ether)-N.N.N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) buffer inhibited the UV-stimulated efflux; this was correlated with a discharge of the membrane potential and a stimulation of the leakage of K⁺ from unirradiated cells. All the same effects were seen with La³⁺ at 0.2 m M. At 0.02 m M La³⁺, the UV-stimulated efflux of K⁺ was blocked without concomitant effects on the membrane potential or K⁺ efflux from control cells. It is suggested that removal of Ca²⁺ blocks or masks the UV-induced leakage of K⁺ by destabilizing the plasma membrane. In addition, La³⁺ may specifically inhibit the UV-stimulated opening of K⁺ or anion channels.     

Interactive effects of Ca2+ and NaCl salinity on the ionic relations and proline accumulation in the primary root tip of Sorghum bicolor

The effects of supplemental Ca²⁺ supply and NaCl salinity on the ionic relations and levels of proline and other amino acids in the primary root of Sorghum bicolor (cv. Hegari) seedlings were investigated. Two days of exposure to 150 m M NaCl resulted in a 50-fold increase in the proline level in the 0–10 mm root tips of seedlings supplied with 5.0 m M Ca²⁺, but only a 4-fold increase in seedlings with 0.5 m M Ca²⁺. In contrast to the high levels of proline in the root tip, proline accumulation was only modest in the expanded tissues of the root. The enhancement of proline accumulation in the root tip of salinized seedlings with the Ca²⁺ supplement may be related to their more favorable tissue K to Na ratio. Thus, elevated Ca²⁺ may mitigate the NaCl-induced inhibition of S. bicolor root growth via the maintenance of net K to Na selectivity and the enhancement of proline accumulation in the root tip.     

Extracellular Calcium Has Distinct Effects on Fast and Slow Components of the Depolarization-Induced Secretory Response from Chromaffin Cells

Abstract: An increase in extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration from 0.25 to 10 m M enhanced secretion of norepinephrine and epinephrine induced by a high extracellular K⁺ concentration (75 m M ). The increment in extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration also increased the observed peak inward Ca²⁺ current in response to long (10-s) depolarizing pulses from a holding potential of −55 mV to +5 mV, from about −26 to −400 pA. However, the total amount of Ca²⁺ influx into the cell only increased when the extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration was raised from 0.25 to 1 m M and then remained constant up to 10 m M extracellular Ca²⁺. ATP is cosecreted with catecholamines following a depolarizing stimulus. Kinetic studies indicated that ATP secretion had two components with time constants, in the presence of 2.5 m M extracellular Ca²⁺, of ∼4 and 41 s, being the fast component of secretion produced by the exocytosis of ∼220 chromaffin granules. The results suggest that, for a given depolarizing stimulus, the size and rate of release for the fast and slow components of secretion are dependent on extracellular Ca²⁺ concentration.     

Uptake and distribution of calcium, magnesium and potassium in cucumber of different age

Uptake and distribution of Ca⁺, Mg²⁺ and K²⁺ were investigated in plants of cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L. var. Cila) which had been cultivated for 12, 19, 32, or 53 days in complete nutrient solution with 1.0 m M Ca²⁺, 2.0 m M Mg²⁺ and 2.0 m M K⁺. The ⁺ concentration was about the same in roots and shoots, while the Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentrations were low in roots compared to shoots. The K⁺ concentration decreased with increasing leaf age, while the Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ concentrations increased, except in older plants with flowers and fruits, where an increased concentration was found in the youngest leaves. This is discussed in connection with increased indoleacetic acid (IAA) synthesis in the shoot. Excision of leaves at different levels from 21-day-old plants, followed by uptake for 24 h from the nutrient solution on days 22 and 23, resulted in no immediate reduction in Ca²⁺ (⁴⁵Ca) uptake. Transport of Ca²⁺ increased to leaves above and below the excision point and total Ca²⁺ uptake remained at the same level as for the intact plant. It is suggested that regulation of Ca²⁺ uptake is primarily achieved in the root while the distribution in the shoot is regulated by the accessability of negative binding sites.     

Influence of aluminium on phosphorus and calcium localization in roots of beech (Fagus sylvatica)

Beech plants ( Fagus sylvatica L. provenance Maramures) were grown in nutrient solution at low pH (4.2) and exposed to different concentrations of AlCl₃. Uptake and leakage of Ca²⁺(⁴⁵Ca²⁺) and H²PO₄-(³²P) were studied. A high external aluminium concentration (1.0m M ) reduced the uptake and export to the shoot of both calcium and phosphate, while 0.1 m M Al increased the phosphorus level in the roots. To determine the impact of aluminium on the localization of calcium and phosphate, leakage of the elements from both intact plants and plants frozen prior to the leakage experiment was studied. The leakage of Ca²⁺ from intact plants was not affected by prior exposure to 0.1 m M Al. Freezing of the beech plants before the leakage experiment increased leakage of calcium slightly more from roots of control plants than for roots exposed to 0.1 m M Al, indicating that even low concentrations of alminium may impede the influx of calcium across the plasma membrane in the roots. The patterns of Ca²⁺ leakage from roots previously exposed to 1.0 m M Al indicated that very little Ca²⁺ was located extracellularly. The extracellular fraction of phosphate increased with increasing Al concentration in the nutrient solution. Low Al concentration (0.1 m M ) only reduced the intracellular phosphate concentration to a minor extent, while 1.0 m M Al profoundly decreased it. It is concluded that 0.1 m M AlCl₃ has a limited effect upon the localization of Ca²⁺ and phosphate in the roots. At higher levels of Al, 0.1–1.0 m M , there is a more dramatic change in nutrient localization in the free space and uptake over the plasma membrane.