Studying plant salt tolerance with the voltage clamp technique

Voltage clamp is one of the key techniques for the dissection, identification, and monitoring of ion transporters in plant cells. Voltage clamp-based research work on salinity stress in plants enables the characterization of many plant ATP-dependent pumps, ion channels, and ion-coupled carriers through heterologous expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes and in vivo measurements in salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive giant green algae such as Chara and many plant species. We have modified and developed a reliable set of procedures for voltage clamp analysis in intact guard cells and root epidermal cells from Arabidopsis thaliana with potentially broad applications in the salinity response of plants. These procedures greatly extend the duration of measurements and scope for analysis of the predominant K+ and anion channels.