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Making Contact and Measuring Cellular Electrochemical Gradients

Electrochemical Methods and Ion-Selective Electrodes in Plant Physiology

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Plant Electrophysiology

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Abstract

Reporting a voltage requires an electrical circuit that includes a voltmeter with contact to the biological material provided by an electrode. These electrodes can be metal or glass pipettes filled with a conducting salt solution. An ion-selective electrode contains a membrane in the tip of the glass pipette and is responsive to the activity (not concentration) of the ion sensed by the selective membrane. These electrodes can be made with tips of around 10−6 m diameter suitable for insertion measurements inside the cells of intact tissues and plants. This chapter describes how to make and use the electrodes for intracellular measurements in plants. Four stages of ion-selective microelectrode fabrication can be defined, and these are: (1) pulling of glass micropipettes, (2) silanization of the inside of surface of the ion-selective electrode or barrel, (3) backfilling and (4) calibration. Like all methods, there are both advantages and disadvantages in using microelectrodes to measure cellular electrochemical gradients and these are compared and discussed in relation to other available techniques.

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Acknowledgments

John Innes Centre is grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Metabolic Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK

    Anthony J. Miller

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  1. Anthony J. Miller
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Correspondence to Anthony J. Miller .

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  1. , Department of Chemistry, Oakwood University, Adventist Blvd. 7000, Huntsville, 35896, Alabama, USA

    Alexander G. Volkov

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Miller, A.J. (2012). Making Contact and Measuring Cellular Electrochemical Gradients. In: Volkov, A. (eds) Plant Electrophysiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-29119-7_6

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