Effect of the General Anaesthetic Ketamine on Electrical and Ca2+ Signal Propagation in Arabidopsis thaliana
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The systemic electrical signal propagation in plants (i.e., from leaf to leaf) is dependent on GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE proteins (GLRs). The GLR receptors are the homologous proteins to the animal ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) which are ligand-gated non-selective cation channels that mediate neurotransmission in the animal’s nervous system. In this study, we investigated the effect of the general anaesthetic ketamine, a well-known non-competitive channel blocker of human iGluRs, on systemic electrical signal propagation in Arabidopsis thaliana. We monitored the electrical signal propagation, intracellular calcium level [Ca2+]cyt and expression of jasmonate (JA)-responsive genes in response to heat wounding. Although ketamine affected the shape and the parameters of the electrical signals (amplitude and half-time, t1/2) mainly in systemic leaves, it was not able to block a systemic response. Increased [Ca2+]cyt and the expression of jasmonate-responsive genes were detected in local as well as in systemic leaves in response to heat wounding in ketamine-treated plants. This is in contrast with the effect of the volatile general anaesthetic diethyl ether which completely blocked the systemic response. This low potency of ketamine in plants is probably caused by the fact that the critical amino acid residues needed for ketamine binding in human iGluRs are not conserved in plants’ GLRs.
Source: Plants
Authors: Andrej Pavlovič, Lucie Ševčíková, Martin Hřivňacký, Marek Rác
Institution: Palacký University Olomouc
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,069
OpenAlex ID: W4392987119