Blockade of TTX-resistant and TTX-sensitive Na+ currents in cultured dorsal root ganglion neurons by fomocaine and the fomocaine derivative Oe 9000.

Fomocaine and its new derivative Oe 9000 are local anesthetics in which the inner aromatic moiety carries a phenoxymethyl substituent and is linked to the tertiary amine by an alkylene chain, rendering these compounds considerably lipophilic and increasing their chemical and metabolic stability. Although fomocaine was used for surface anesthesia, the presumed mode of action of fomocaine and Oe 9000, the blockade of voltage-gated Na(+) currents in neurons, has not been investigated. In the present experiments we used the whole-cell mode of the patch-clamp technique and studied the effect of both drugs on voltage-gated Na(+) currents in isolated and cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from adult rats.

Characterization of the activity of a plastid-targeted green fluorescent protein in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis thaliana the PALE CRESS (PAC) gene product is required for both chloroplast and cell differentiation. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing a translational fusion of the N-terminal part of the PAC protein harboring the complete plastid-targeting sequence and the green fluorescent protein (GFP) exhibit high GFP fluorescence. Detailed analyses based on confocal imaging of various tissues and cell types revealed that the PAC-GFP fusion protein accumulates in chloroplasts of mature stomatal guard cells.

Localized changes in apoplastic and cytoplasmic pH are associated with root hair development in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Morphogenesis in plants is characterized by highly regulated cell enlargement. However, the mechanisms controlling and localizing regions of growth remain essentially unknown. Root hair formation involves the induction of a localized cell expansion in the lateral wall of a root epidermal cell.

Over-expression of plant 14-3-3 proteins in tobacco: enhancement of the plasmalemma K+ conductance of mesophyll cells.

Two cDNA clones encoding 14-3-3 homologous proteins were isolated from Vicia faba. Deduced amino acid sequences share different degrees of homology with other plant 14-3-3 proteins. Both clones, under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter, were transformed into tobacco plants.

Modeling plasmalemma ion transport of the aquatic plant Egeria densa.

Fresh-water plants generate extraordinarily high electric potential differences at the plasma membrane. For a deeper understanding of the underlying transport processes a mathematical model of the electrogenic plasmalemma ion transport was developed based on experimental data mainly obtained from Egeria densa. The model uses a general nonlinear network approach and assumes coupling of the transporters via membrane potential.