Staining the Cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ with Fluo-4/AM in Apple Pulp

Cytosolic Ca²⁺ plays a key role in plant development. Calcium imaging is the most versatile method to detect dynamic changes in Ca²⁺ in the cytoplasm. In this study, we obtained viable protoplasts of pulp cells by enzymatic hydrolysis. Isolated protoplasts were incubated with the small-molecule fluorescent reagent (Fluo-4/AM) for 30 min at 37 °C. The fluorescent probes successfully stained cytosolic Ca²⁺ but did not accumulate in vacuoles. La³⁺, a Ca²⁺ channel blocker, decreased cytoplasmic fluorescence intensity. These results suggest that Fluo-4/AM can be used to detect changes in cytosolic Ca²⁺ in the fruit flesh. In summary, we present a method to effectively isolate protoplasts from flesh cells of the fruit and detect Ca²⁺ by loading a small-molecule calcium fluorescent reagent in the cytoplasm of pulp cells.