Arabidopsis abi1-1 and abi2-1 phosphatase mutations reduce abscisic acid-induced cytoplasmic calcium rises in guard cells.

Elevations in cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca(2)+](cyt)) are an important component of early abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction. To determine whether defined mutations in ABA signal transduction affect [Ca(2)+](cyt) signaling, the Ca(2)+-sensitive fluorescent dye fura 2 was loaded into the cytoplasm of Arabidopsis guard cells. Oscillations in [Ca(2)+](cyt) could be induced when the external calcium concentration was increased, showing viable Ca(2)+ homeostasis in these dye-loaded cells. ABA-induced [Ca(2)+](cyt) elevations in wild-type stomata were either transient or sustained, with a mean increase of approximately 300 nM. Interestingly, ABA-induced [Ca(2)+](cyt) increases were significantly reduced but not abolished in guard cells of the ABA-insensitive protein phosphatase mutants abi1 and abi2. Plasma membrane slow anion currents were activated in wild-type, abi1, and abi2 guard cell protoplasts by increasing [Ca(2)+](cyt), demonstrating that the impairment in ABA activation of anion currents in the abi1 and abi2 mutants was bypassed by increasing [Ca(2)+](cyt). Furthermore, increases in external calcium alone (which elevate [Ca(2)+](cyt)) resulted in stomatal closing to the same extent in the abi1 and abi2 mutants as in the wild type. Conversely, stomatal opening assays indicated different interactions of abi1 and abi2, with Ca(2)+-dependent signal transduction pathways controlling stomatal closing versus stomatal opening. Together, [Ca(2)+](cyt) recordings, anion current activation, and stomatal closing assays demonstrate that the abi1 and abi2 mutations impair early ABA signaling events in guard cells upstream or close to ABA-induced [Ca(2)+](cyt) elevations. These results further demonstrate that the mutations can be bypassed during anion channel activation and stomatal closing by experimental elevation of [Ca(2)+](cyt).     

Ca2+ dynamics in a pollen grain and papilla cell during pollination of Arabidopsis

Ca2+ dynamics in the growing pollen tube have been well documented in vitro using germination assays and Ca2+ imaging techniques. However, very few in vivo studies of Ca2+ in the pollen grain and papilla cell during pollination have been performed. We expressed yellow cameleon, a Ca2+ indicator based on green fluorescent protein, in the pollen grains and papilla cells of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and monitored Ca2+ dynamics during pollination. In the pollen grain, [Ca2+]cyt increased at the potential germination site soon after hydration and remained augmented until germination. As in previous in vitro germination studies, [Ca2+]cyt oscillations were observed in the tip region of the growing pollen tube, but the oscillation frequency was faster and [Ca2+]cyt was higher than had been observed in vitro. In the pollinated papilla cell, remarkable increases in [Ca2+]cyt occurred three times in succession, just under the site of pollen-grain attachment. [Ca2+]cyt increased first soon after pollen hydration, with a second increase occurring after pollen protrusion. The third and most remarkable [Ca2+]cyt increase took place when the pollen tube penetrated into the papilla cell wall.     

Cold calcium signaling in Arabidopsis involves two cellular pools and a change in calcium signature after acclimation.

Cold shock elicits an immediate rise in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) in both chilling-resistant Arabidopsis and chilling-sensitive tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia). In Arabidopsis, lanthanum or EGTA caused a partial inhibition of both cold shock [Ca2+]cyt elevation and cold-dependent kin1 gene expression. This suggested that calcium influx plays a major role in the cold shock [Ca2+]cyt response and that an intracellular calcium source also might be involved. To investigate whether the vacuole (the major intracellular calcium store in plants) is involved, we targeted the calcium-dependent photoprotein aequorin to the cytosolic face of the vacuolar membrane. Cold shock calcium kinetics in this microdomain were consistent with a cold-induced vacuolar release of calcium. Treatment with neomycin or lithium, which interferes with phosphoinositide cycling, resulted in cold shock [Ca2+]cyt kinetics consistent with the involvement of inositol trisphosphate and inositide phosphate signaling in this response. We also investigated the effects of repeated and prolonged low temperature on cold shock [Ca2+]cyt. Differences were observed between the responses of Arabidopsis and N. plum-baginifolia to repeated cold stimulation. Acclimation of Arabidopsis by pretreatment with cold or hydrogen peroxide caused a modified calcium signature to subsequent cold shock. This suggests that acclimation involves modification of plant calcium signaling to provide a "cold memory."     

Convergence of calcium signaling pathways of pathogenic elicitors and abscisic acid in Arabidopsis guard cells

A variety of stimuli, such as abscisic acid (ABA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and elicitors of plant defense reactions, have been shown to induce stomatal closure. Our study addresses commonalities in the signaling pathways that these stimuli trigger. A recent report showed that both ABA and ROS stimulate an NADPH-dependent, hyperpolarization-activated Ca(2+) influx current in Arabidopsis guard cells termed "I(Ca)" (Z.M. Pei, Y. Murata, G. Benning, S. Thomine, B. Klüsener, G.J. Allen, E. Grill, J.I. Schroeder, Nature [2002] 406: 731-734). We found that yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) elicitor and chitosan, both elicitors of plant defense responses, also activate this current and activation requires cytosolic NAD(P)H. These elicitors also induced elevations in the concentration of free cytosolic calcium ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) and stomatal closure in guard cells. ABA and ROS elicited [Ca(2+)](cyt) oscillations in guard cells only when extracellular Ca(2+) was present. In a 5 mM KCl extracellular buffer, 45% of guard cells exhibited spontaneous [Ca(2+)](cyt) oscillations that differed in their kinetic properties from ABA-induced Ca(2+) increases. These spontaneous [Ca(2+)](cyt) oscillations also required the availability of extracellular Ca(2+) and depended on the extracellular potassium concentration. Interestingly, when ABA was applied to spontaneously oscillating cells, ABA caused cessation of [Ca(2+)](cyt) elevations in 62 of 101 cells, revealing a new mode of ABA signaling. These data show that fungal elicitors activate a shared branch with ABA in the stress signal transduction pathway in guard cells that activates plasma membrane I(Ca) channels and support a requirement for extracellular Ca(2+) for elicitor and ABA signaling, as well as for cellular [Ca(2+)](cyt) oscillation maintenance.     

Circadian and diurnal calcium oscillations encode photoperiodic information in Arabidopsis

We have tested the hypothesis that circadian oscillations in the concentration of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]cyt) can encode information. We imaged oscillations of [Ca2+]cyt in the cotyledons and leaves of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) that have a 24-h period in light/dark cycles and also constant light. The amplitude, phase, and shape of the oscillations of [Ca2+]cyt and [Ca2+]cyt at critical daily time points were controlled by the light/dark regimes in which the plants were grown. These data provide evidence that 24-h oscillations in [Ca2+]cyt encode information concerning daylength and light intensity, which are two major regulators of plant growth and development.     

Visualizing Changes in Cytosolic-Free Ca2+ during the Response of Stomatal Guard Cells to Abscisic Acid

In this paper, we report the results of a detailed investigation into abscisic acid (ABA)[mdash]stimulated elevations of guard cell cytosolic-free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt). Fluorescence ratio photometry and ratio imaging techniques were used to investigate this phenomenon. Guard cells of open and closed (opened to 10 to 12 [mu]m before treatment with ABA) stomata were microinjected with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Indo-1. Resting [Ca2+]cyt ranged from 50 to 350 nM. ABA (100 nM) stimulated an increase in [Ca2+]cyt in 68 and 81% of guard cells microinjected in the open and closed configuration, respectively. All stomata were observed to close in response to ABA. Increases ranged from 100 to 750 nM above the resting concentration and were arbitrarily grouped into five "classes." ABA-stimulated increases in [Ca2+]cyt were not uniformly distributed across the cytosol of guard cells. Rapid transient increases in [Ca2+]cyt were also observed in the guard cells of stomata microinjected in the closed configuration. We concluded that the ABA-induced turgor loss in guard cells is a Ca2+-dependent process.     

Biolistic delivery of Ca2+ dyes into plant and algal cells

In eukaryotes, changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]cyt) are associated with a number of environmental and developmental stimuli. However, measuring [Ca2+]cyt changes in single plant or algal cells is often problematic. Although a wide range of Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dyes is available, they are often difficult to introduce into plant cells. Micro-injection is the most robust method for dye loading, but is time-consuming, technically demanding, and unsuitable in many cell types. To overcome these problems, we have adapted biolistic techniques to load Ca2+-sensitive dyes into guard cells of the flowering plant, Commelina communis, cells of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and zygotes of the brown alga, Fucus serratus. Using this approach, we have been able to monitor [Ca2+]cyt changes in response to various stimuli, including a novel [Ca2+]cyt response in C. reinhardtii. The method allows the use of free acid and dextran-conjugated dyes. Biolistic loading of differentiated plant cells is easier, quicker, and more widely applicable than micro-injection, and should broaden the study of plant signal transduction.     

Involvement of endogenous abscisic acid in methyl jasmonate-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis

In this study, we examined the involvement of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-induced stomatal closure using an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis, fluridon (FLU), and an ABA-deficient Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutant, aba2-2. We found that pretreatment with FLU inhibited MeJA-induced stomatal closure but not ABA-induced stomatal closure in wild-type plants. The aba2-2 mutation impaired MeJA-induced stomatal closure but not ABA-induced stomatal closure. We also investigated the effects of FLU and the aba2-2 mutation on cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) in guard cells using a Ca(2+)-reporter fluorescent protein, Yellow Cameleon 3.6. In wild-type guard cells, FLU inhibited MeJA-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) elevation but not ABA-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) elevation. The aba2-2 mutation did not affect ABA-elicited [Ca(2+)](cyt) elevation but suppressed MeJA-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) elevation. We also tested the effects of the aba2-2 mutation and FLU on the expression of MeJA-inducible VEGETATIVE STORAGE PROTEIN1 (VSP1). In the aba2-2 mutant, MeJA did not induce VSP1 expression. In wild-type leaves, FLU inhibited MeJA-induced VSP1 expression. Pretreatment with ABA at 0.1 μm, which is not enough concentration to evoke ABA responses in the wild type, rescued the observed phenotypes of the aba2-2 mutant. Finally, we found that in wild-type leaves, MeJA stimulates the expression of 9-CIS-EPOXYCAROTENOID DIOXYGENASE3, which encodes a crucial enzyme in ABA biosynthesis. These results suggest that endogenous ABA could be involved in MeJA signal transduction and lead to stomatal closure in Arabidopsis guard cells.     

Depolymerization of actin cytoskeleton is involved in stomatal closure-induced by extracellular calmodulin in<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis>

Extracellular calmodulin(CaM)plays significant roles in many physiological processes,but little is known about its mechanism of regulating stomatal movements.In this paper,whether CaM exists in the guard cell walls of Arabidopsis and whether depolymerization of actin cytoskeleton is involved in extracellular CaM-induced stomatal closing are investigated.It is found that CaM exists in guard cell walls of Arabidopsis,and its molecular weight is about 17 kD.Bioassay using CaM antagonists W7-agarose and anti-CaM serum shows that the endogenous extracellular CaM promotes stomatal closure and delays stomatal opening.The long radial actin filaments in guard cells undergo disruption in a time-dependent manner during exogenous CaM-induced stomatal closing.Pharmacological experiments show that depolymerization of actin cytoskeleton enhances the effect of exogenous CaM-induced stomatal closing and polymerization reduces the effect.We also find that exogenous CaM triggers an increase in [Ca2+]cyt of guard cells.If [Ca2+]cyt increase is blocked with EGTA,exogenous CaM-induced stomatal closure is inhibited.These results indicate that extracellular CaM causes elevation of [Ca2+]cyt in guard cells,subsequently resulting in disruption of actin filaments and finally leading to guard cells closure.     

Depolymerization of actin cytoskeleton is involved in stomatal closure-induced by extracellular calmodulin in Arabidopsis

CaM ubiquitously presents inside eukaryotic cells. CaM抯 gene expression and its subcellular localization are regulated by light, osmotic stress, pathogens, plant hormones, etc.[1]. Intracellular CaM of plant displays important functions in pathogenesis and wounding reaction[2] and hypersensitive response[3]. CaM has been found extracellular spaces in many plant species, such as soluble extracts of oat coleoptile cell walls[4], the wheat coleoptile cell walls[5], maize root tips cell walls[6…     

Extracellular calmodulin-induced stomatal closure is mediated by heterotrimeric G protein and H2O2

Extracellular calmodulin (ExtCaM) exerts multiple functions in animals and plants, but the mode of ExtCaM action is not well understood. In this paper, we provide evidence that ExtCaM stimulates a cascade of intracellular signaling events to regulate stomatal movement. Analysis of the changes of cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) and H2O2 in Vicia faba guard cells combined with epidermal strip bioassay suggests that ExtCaM induces an increase in both H2O2 levels and [Ca2+]cyt, leading to a reduction in stomatal aperture. Pharmacological studies implicate heterotrimeric G protein in transmitting the ExtCaM signal, acting upstream of [Ca2+]cyt elevation, and generating H2O2 in guard cell responses. To further test the role of heterotrimeric G protein in ExtCaM signaling in stomatal closure, we checked guard cell responses in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Galpha-subunit-null gpa1 mutants and cGalpha overexpression lines. We found that gpa1 mutants were insensitive to ExtCaM stimulation of stomatal closure, whereas cGalpha overexpression enhanced the guard cell response to ExtCaM. Furthermore, gpa1 mutants are impaired in ExtCaM induction of H2O2 generation in guard cells. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that ExtCaM activates an intracellular signaling pathway involving activation of a heterotrimeric G protein, H2O2 generation, and changes in [Ca2+]cyt in the regulation of stomatal movements.     

Ca^2＋参与茉莉酸诱导蚕豆气孔关闭的信号转导

以Fluo-3 AM为Ca^2＋荧光探针,结合激光共聚焦扫描显微技术,观察到在处理后数十秒内,气孔关闭之前,茉莉酸（JA）可引起[Ca^2＋]cyt的迅速上升;对照和JA的前体物亚麻酸（LA）几乎不能引起[Ca^2＋]cyt的明显变化;钙的螯合剂EGTA预处理可完全阻断JA诱导气孔关闭的效应,并且JA不再引起保卫细胞[Ca^2＋]cyt增加;质膜Cah通道的抑制剂硝苯吡啶（nifedipine,NIF）可减弱JA诱导气孔关闭的效应,也使JA诱导保卫细胞[Ca^2＋]cyt增加的幅度有所下降;胞内Ca^2＋释放的抑制剂钌红不能明显改变JA诱导气孔关闲的趋势,但使JA引起的保卫细胞[Ca^2＋]cyt增加有所降低。实验结果表明：Ca^2＋参与JA诱导气孔关闭的信号转导;推测JA引起的[Ca^2＋]cyt升高可能主要来源于胞外,但不能完全排除胞内Ca^2＋的释放。     

Thrombin-induced calcium movements in platelet activation

The thrombin-induced Ca2+ fluxes and their coupling to platelet aggregation of the human platelet were studied using quin2 as a measure of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]cyt) and chlorotetracycline (CTC) as a measure of internally sequestered Ca2+. Evidence is given that the CTC fluorescence change is proportional to the free internal Ca2+ concentration in the dense tubular lumen. The intracellular quin2 concentration was 1 mM and analysis showed that it did not perturb the processes reported herein. The value of [Ca2+]cyt at rest and during thrombin activation was analyzed in terms of Ca2+ influx, Ca2+ release, Ca2+ sequestration, and Ca2+ extrusion. Influx was distinguished from internal release by removing extracellular Ca2+ 1 min before thrombin activation. In the presence of 2 mM external Ca2+, the thrombin-induced Ca2+ influx accounts for most of the increase in [Ca2+]cyt (over 80%). Thrombin-induced Ca2+ influx and release have somewhat different EC50 values (0.17 U/ml vs. 0.35 U/ml). The contribution of influx can be inhibited by verapamil, bepridil and Cd2+ (IC50 values of 19 microM, 2 microM and 50 microM). The influx results were analyzed in terms of a thrombin-activated channel. Indomethacin pretreatment experiments suggest that activation of the arachidonic pathway accounts for approx. 50% of the influx-related [Ca2+]cyt elevation. Elevation of [Ca2+]cyt by intracellular release is not inhibited by verapamil or Cd2+ but is inhibited by bepridil with a high IC50 (25 microM). It is only 15-20% inhibited by indomethacin and is thus not dependent on thromboxane A2 formation. The release reaction does not require Ca2+ influx. The rate of thrombin-activated platelet aggregation is shown to have an approximately fourth-power dependence on [Ca2+]cyt with an apparent Km of 0.4 microM. Comparisons of aggregation rates of the partially thrombin-activated vs. fully thrombin-activated, partially verapamil-inhibited conditions suggest that this dependence on [Ca2+]cyt is the major determinant of the aggregation behavior. Analysis shows that calcium influx is the major pathway for elevating [Ca2+]cyt by thrombin when physiological concentrations of external Ca2+ are present.     

Dissection of the ozone-induced calcium signature

The cellular responses of plants to numerous extracellular stimuli are mediated by transient elevations in the concentration of cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+]cyt). We have addressed the question of how cells can use this apparently ubiquitous system to initiate so many specific and appropriate end responses. We show that the pollutant gas ozone elicits a biphasic Ca2+ response in intact Arabidopsis plants and a subsequent increase in expression of the gene encoding the antioxidant defence enzyme glutathione-S-transferase (GST). The second of the two [Ca2+]cyt peaks, but not the first, could be eliminated either by pre-treatment of plants with lanthanum chloride, or by reducing the duration of ozone fumigation. Under these conditions, ozone-induced GST expression was abolished. These data provide a functional dissection of the ozone Ca2+ signalling pathway and indicate that the second ozone-induced [Ca2+]cyt peak provides the necessary information to direct expression of GST.     

The role of calcium in ABA-induced gene expression and stomatal movements

There is much interest in the transduction pathways by which abscisic acid (ABA) regulates stomatal movements (ABA-turgor signalling) and by which this phytohormone regulates the pattern of gene expression in plant cells (ABA-nuclear signalling). A number of second messengers have been identified in both the ABA-turgor and ABA-nuclear signalling pathways. A major challenge is to understand the architecture of ABA-signalling pathways and to determine how the ABA signal is coupled to the appropriate response. We have investigated whether separate Ca2+-dependent and -independent ABA-signalling pathways are present in guard cells. Our data suggest that increases in [Ca2+]i are a common component of the guard cell ABA-turgor and ABA-nuclear signalling pathways. The effects of Ca2+ antagonists on ABA-induced stomatal closure and the ABA-responsive CDeT6-19 gene promoter suggest that Ca2+ is involved in both ABA-turgor signalling and ABA-nuclear signalling in guard cells. However, the sensitivity of these pathways to alterations in the external calcium concentration differ, suggesting that the ABA-nuclear and ABA-turgor signalling pathways are not completely convergent. Our data suggest that whilst Ca2+-independent signalling elements are present in the guard cell, they do not form a completely separate Ca2+-independent ABA-signalling pathway.     

The deposition of suberin lamellae determines the magnitude of cytosolic Ca2+ elevations in root endodermal cells subjected to cooling

A transient increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) is thought to be a prerequisite for an appropriate physiological response to both chilling and salt stress. The [Ca2+]cyt is raised by Ca2+ influx to the cytosol from the apoplast and/or intracellular stores. It has been speculated that different signals mobilise Ca2+ from different stores, but little is known about the origin(s) of the Ca2+ entering the cytosol in response to specific environmental challenges. We have utilised the developmentally regulated suberisation of endodermal cells, which is thought to prevent Ca2+ influx from the apoplast, to ascertain whether Ca2+ influx is required to increase [Ca2+]cyt in response to chilling or salt stress. Perturbations in [Ca2+]cyt were studied in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana, expressing aequorin fused to a modified yellow fluorescent protein solely in root endodermal cells, during slow cooling of plants from 20 to 0.5 degrees C over 5 min and in response to an acute salt stress (0.333 m NaCl). Only in endodermal cells in the apical 4 mm of the Arabidopsis root did [Ca2+]cyt increase significantly during cooling, and the magnitude of the [Ca2+]cyt elevation elicited by cooling was inversely related to the extent of suberisation of the endodermal cell layer. No [Ca2+]cyt elevations were elicited by cooling in suberised endodermal cells. This is consistent with the hypothesis that suberin lamellae isolate the endodermal cell protoplast from the apoplast and, thereby, prevent Ca2+ influx. By contrast, acute salt stress increased [Ca2+]cyt in endodermal cells throughout the root. These results suggest that [Ca2+]cyt elevations, upon slow cooling, depend absolutely on Ca2+ influx across the plasma membrane, but [Ca2+]cyt elevations in response to acute salt stress do not. They also suggest that Ca2+ release from intracellular stores contributes significantly to increasing [Ca2+]cyt upon acute salt stress.     

Oxidative Signals in Tobacco Increase Cytosolic Calcium

Tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia) seedlings genetically transformed to express apoaequorin were incubated in h-coelenterazine to reconstitute the calcium-sensitive luminescent protein aequorin. Treatment of these seedlings with hydrogen peroxide resulted in a transient burst of calcium-dependent luminescence lasting several minutes. Even though the hydrogen peroxide stimulus was persistent, the change in cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) was transient, suggesting the presence of a refractory period. When seedlings were pretreated with hydrogen peroxide, there was no increase in [Ca2+]cyt upon a second application, which confirmed the refractory character of the response. Only when the two treatments were separated by 4 to 8 hr was full responsiveness recovered. However, treatment with hydrogen peroxide did not inhibit mobilization of [Ca2+]cyt induced by either cold shock or touching, suggesting that these three signals mobilize different pools of intracellular calcium. To examine whether [Ca2+]cyt is regulated by the redox state of the cytoplasm, we pretreated seedlings with buthionine sulfoximine (to modify cellular glutathione levels) and inhibitors of ascorbate peroxidase. These inhibitors modify the hydrogen peroxide-induced transients in [Ca2+]cyt, which is consistent with their effects on the cellular prooxidant/antioxidant ratio. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide that elicited [Ca2+]cyt increases also brought about a reduction in superoxide dismutase enzyme activity. This reduction could be reversed by treatment with the calcium channel blocker lanthanum. This indicates that there is a role for calcium in plant responses to oxidative stress.     

Water Channels Are Involved in Stomatal Oscillations Encoded by Parameter-Specific Cytosolic Calcium Oscillations

Earlier studies have shown that various stimuli can induce specific cytosolic calcium （[Ca^2＋]cyt） oscillations in guard cells and various oscillations in stomatal apertures. Exactly how [Ca^2＋]cyt oscillation signaling functions in stomatal oscillation is not known. In the present study, the epidermis of broad bean （Vicia faba L.） was used and a rapid ion-exchange treatment with two shifting buffers differing in K^＋ and Ca^2＋ concentrations was applied. The treatment for fivetransients at a 10-min transient period induced clear and regular stomatal oscillation. However, for other transient numbers and periods, the treatments induced some Irregular oscillations or even no obvious oscillations in stomatal aperture. The results indicate that stomatal oscillation Is encoded by parameter-specific [Ca^2＋]cyt oscillation： the parameters of [Ca^2＋]cyt oscillation affected the occurrence rate and the parameters of stomatal oscillation. The water channel inhibitor HgCl2 completely Inhibited stomatal oscillation and the inhibitory effect could be partially reversed by β-mercaptoethanol （an agent capable of reversing water channel inhibition by HgCl2）. Other Inhibitory treatments against Ion transport （i.e. the application of LaCIs, EGTA, or tetraethylammonlum chloride （TEACI）） weakly impaired stomatal oscillation when the compounds were added after rapid ion-exchange treatment. If these compounds were added before rapid-ion exchange treatment, the inhibitory effect was much more apparent （except In the case of TEACI）. The results of the present study suggest that water channels are involved In stomatal oscillation as a downstream element of [Ca^2＋]cyt oscillation signaling.     

cGMP-dependent ABA-induced stomatal closure in the ABA-insensitive Arabidopsis mutant abi1-1

? The drought hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is widely known to produce reductions in stomatal aperture in guard cells. The second messenger cyclic guanosine 3', 5'-monophosphate (cGMP) is thought to form part of the signalling pathway by which ABA induces stomatal closure. ? We have examined the signalling events during cGMP-dependent ABA-induced stomatal closure in wild-type Arabidopsis plants and plants of the ABA-insensitive Arabidopsis mutant abi1-1. ? We show that cGMP acts downstream of hydrogen peroxide (H(2) O(2) ) and nitric oxide (NO) in the signalling pathway by which ABA induces stomatal closure. H(2) O(2) - and NO-induced increases in the cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca(2+) ](cyt) ) were cGMP-dependent, positioning cGMP upstream of [Ca(2+) ](cyt) , and involved the action of the type 2C protein phosphatase ABI1. Increases in cGMP were mediated through the stimulation of guanylyl cyclase by H(2) O(2) and NO. We identify nucleoside diphosphate kinase as a new cGMP target protein in Arabidopsis. ? This study positions cGMP downstream of ABA-induced changes in H(2) O(2) and NO, and upstream of increases in [Ca(2+) ](cyt) in the signalling pathway leading to stomatal closure.