VACUOLAR SEQUESTRATION OF FLUORESCENT-PROBES IN PLANT-CELLS - A REVIEW

The use of fluorescent probes as indicator and tracer molecules is becoming an important aspect of plant cell biology. In many cases the dye, whether introduced directly into the cytosol or sequestered by the cell from its external environment, is preferentially transferred to the vacuole. In the light of increasing evidence for endocytosis in plant cells, the sequestration of high-molecular-weight fluorescent dextrans and the membrane-impermeant dye Lucifer Yellow-CH into the vacuole has been cited as evidence supporting the presence of a fluid-phase endocytic pathway. In this review we consider these recent reports of vacuolar sequestration in the light of new evidence arising on the mechanisms underlying dye uptake.