Plant proton pumps

Chemiosmotic circuits of plant cells are driven by proton (H⁺) gradients that mediate secondary active transport of compounds across plasma and endosomal membranes. Furthermore, regulation of endosomal acidification is critical for endocytic and secretory pathways. For plants to react to their constantly changing environments and at the same time maintain optimal metabolic conditions, the expression, activity and interplay of the pumps generating these H⁺ gradients have to be tightly regulated. In this review, we will highlight results on the regulation, localization and physiological roles of these H⁺- pumps, namely the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, the vacuolar H⁺-ATPase and the vacuolar H⁺-PPase.