Rubidium (potassium) uptake by Arabidopsis: a comparison of uptake by cells in suspension culture and by roots of intact seedlings

Experiments are reported in which the uptake of ⁸⁶Rb⁺, used as an analog of K⁺, into cultured cells of Arabidopsis thaliana is investigated. A single transport system is found with K_m = 0.34 millimolar and V_max = 14 nmoles per milligram of protein per hour. This system is blocked by the metabolic inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP) and by cold. At high concentrations of external K⁺ (above 1 millimolar), a significant fraction of total uptake is energy-independent. No evidence is found for more than one energy-dependent uptake system or for concentration-dependent modifications of a carrier as postulated in multiphasic transport models.