IS MEMBRANE-POTENTIAL INVOLVED IN CALMODULIN GENE-EXPRESSION AFTER EXTERNAL STIMULATION IN PLANTS

In Bidens pilosa (cv, radiata), a non-injurious stimulus induces a loc al and transient change in membrane potential, and an injurious stimul us induces a transmitted electrical signal described as the combinatio n of an action potential and a slow wave. We have studied calmodulin g ene expression after these stimuli. When the stimulus is non-injurious , calmodulin mRNA accumulation is only increased in the stimulated reg ion, In contrast, when the stimulus is injurious, mRNA accumulation ta kes place in both wounded and distant, unwounded tissue, We propose th at the slow wave plays a role in the long-distance transmission of a w ound-induced information in plants.