The genus Eugenia L. (Myrtaceae) in southern Africa: the structure and taxonomic value of stomata

The mature stomatal morphology of 11 southern African species of Eugenia , and also of E. uniflora L. (naturalized) and E. incerta Diimmer (a garden plant of unknown origin) has been studied by light and scanning electron microscopy.
Leaves of all the species are hypostomatic and water-stomata are occasionally present. Two different stomatal types, X and Y, differing mainly in their cuticular ornamentation, were found in the southern African species. The grouping of species based on stomatal characters supports a previous grouping of species on the basis of periderm and seed characters.
Conspicuous lipid bodies, usually present in the subsidiary cells, are limited to the southern African species. Although the subsidiary cells do not differ in shape and size from adjacent epidermal cells, their contents often have a higher tannin content than ordinary epidermal cells. The variable patterns of arrangement of the three to five subsidiary cells makes it difficult to identify the stomata with existing classifications based on mature topography. Thus, a new term 'anomostaurocytic' is proposed for the stomatal type found in the southern African species.
Stomata of E. uniflora and E. incerta are paracytic and anomocytic respectively, and the cuticular ornamentation of their stomata differs from those of the southern African species. The view that E. incerta is not closely related to the southern African species is supported by differences in its cuticular ornamentation, lack of lipid bodies in the subsidiary cells, anomocytic stomata and prominent T-pieces at the guard cell poles.     

Genome size is a strong predictor of cell size and stomatal density in angiosperms

Across eukaryotes phenotypic correlations with genome size are thought to scale from genome size effects on cell size. However, for plants the genome/cell size link has only been thoroughly documented within ploidy series and small subsets of herbaceous species. Here, the first large-scale comparative analysis is made of the relationship between genome size and cell size across 101 species of angiosperms of varying growth forms. Guard cell length and epidermal cell area were used as two metrics of cell size and, in addition, stomatal density was measured. There was a significant positive relationship between genome size and both guard cell length and epidermal cell area and a negative relationship with stomatal density. Independent contrast analyses revealed that these traits are undergoing correlated evolution with genome size. However, the relationship was growth form dependent (nonsignificant results within trees/shrubs), although trees had the smallest genome/cell sizes and the highest stomatal density. These results confirm the generality of the genome size/cell size relationship. The results also suggest that changes in genome size, with concomitant influences on stomatal size and density, may influence physiology, and perhaps play an important genetic role in determining the ecological and life-history strategy of a species.     

Ultrastructure of stomatal development in early-divergent angiosperms reveals contrasting patterning and pre-patterning

Background and Aims

Angiosperm stomata consistently possess a pair of guard cells, but differ between taxa in the patterning and developmental origin of neighbour cells. Developmental studies of phylogenetically pivotal taxa are essential as comparative yardsticks for understanding the evolution of stomatal development.

Methods

We present a novel ultrastructural study of developing stomata in leaves of Amborella (Amborellales), Nymphaea and Cabomba (Nymphaeales), and Austrobaileya and Schisandra (Austrobaileyales), representing the three earliest-divergent lineages of extant angiosperms (the ANITA-grade).

Key Results

Alternative developmental pathways occur in early-divergent angiosperms, resulting partly from differences in pre-patterning and partly from the presence or absence of highly polarized (asymmetric) mitoses in the stomatal cell lineage. Amplifying divisions are absent from ANITA-grade taxa, indicating that ostensible similarities with the stomatal patterning of Arabidopsis are superficial. In Amborella, ‘squared’ pre-patterning occurs in intercostal regions, with groups of four protodermal cells typically arranged in a rectangle; most guard-mother cells are formed by asymmetric division of a precursor cell (the mesoperigenous condition) and are typically triangular or trapezoidal. In contrast, water-lily stomata are always perigenous (lacking asymmetric divisions). Austrobaileya has occasional ‘giant’ stomata.

Conclusions

Similar mature stomatal phenotypes can result from contrasting morphogenetic factors, although the results suggest that paracytic stomata are invariably the product of at least one asymmetric division. Loss of asymmetric divisions in stomatal development could be a significant factor in land plant evolution, with implications for the diversity of key structural and physiological pathways.     

The role of epidermal turgor in stomatal interactions following a local perturbation in humidity

Humidity in a small area of a Vicia faba L. leaf was perturbed with a flow of dry air from an 80 µm (inside diameter) needle, while the remainder of the leaf was maintained at high and constant humidity. The influence of the needle flow on the humidity at the leaf surface was quantified by using a spatially explicit dewpoint hygrometer to observe condensation patterns. When the dry air from a needle was applied to the leaf, stomata within the influence of the needle opened within the first few minutes of the perturbation, and local epidermal turgor pressure declined within the same time frame. When the needle flow was removed from the leaf, these responses were reversed, but with more variable kinetics. Stomata and epidermal cells outside the influence of the needle flow, which were exposed to a constant and high humidity, showed similar, but smaller, responses when the needle flow was applied to the leaf. Since the opening of these stomata should have had only a small effect on transpiration (because of the high humidity), it is likely that the reduction in epidermal turgor was the cause (rather than the result) of the stomatal opening. The magnitude of the turgor response was only loosely related to the distance from the needle flow up to distances of almost 400 µm. The data support the idea that neighbouring stomata can interact through the influence of transpiration on epidermal turgor.     

The relation between stomatal aperture and gas exchange under consideration of pore geometry and diffusional resistance in the mesophyll

The quantitative relation between stomatal aperture and gas exchange through the stomatal pore can be described by physical models derived from Fick's first law of diffusion. Such models, usually based on a simplified pore geometry, are used to calculate leaf conductance from stomatal pore dimensions or vice versa. In this study a combination of gas-exchange measurements and simultaneous microscopical observations of stomatal apertures was used to empirically determine this relationship. The results show a substantial deviation between measured stomatal conductance and that calculated from the simplified models. The main difference is a much steeper increase of conductance with aperture at small apertures. When the calculation was based on a realistic pore geometry derived from confocal laser scanning microscopy, a good fit to the experimentally found relationship could be obtained if additionally a significant contribution of a mesophyll diffusional resistance was taken into account.     

A hydromechanical and biochemical model of stomatal conductance

A mathematical model of stomatal conductance is presented. It is based on whole‐plant and epidermal hydromechanics, and on two hypotheses: (1) the osmotic gradient across guard cell membranes is proportional to the concentration of ATP in the guard cells; and (2) the osmotic gradient that can be sustained per unit of ATP is proportional to the turgor pressure of adjacent epidermal cells. In the present study, guard cell [ATP] is calculated using a previously published model that is based on a widely used biochemical model of C₃ mesophyll photosynthesis. The conductance model for Vicia faba L. is parameterized and tested As with most other stomatal models, the present model correctly predicts the stomatal responses to variations in transpiration rate, irradiance and intercellular CO₂. Unlike most other models, however, this model can predict the transient stomatal opening often observed before conductance declines in response to decreases in humidity, soil water potential, or xylem conductance. The model also explicitly accommodates the mechanical advantage of the epidermis and correctly predicts that stomata are relatively insensitive to the ambient partial pressure of oxygen, as a result of the assumed dependence on ATP concentration.     

Abaxial and adaxial stomata from Pima cotton (Gossypium barbadense L.) differ in their pigment content and sensitivity to light quality

Sensitivity to light quality and pigment composition were analysed and compared in abaxial and adaxial stomata of Gossypium barbadense L. (Pima cotton). In most plants, abaxial (lower) stomatal conductances are higher than adaxial (upper) ones, and stomatal opening is more sensitive to blue light than to red. In greenhouse-grown Pima cotton, abaxial stomatal conductances were two to three times higher than adaxial ones. In contrast, adaxial stomatal conductances were 1·5 to two times higher than abaxial ones in leaves from growth chamber-grown plants. To establish whether light quality was a factor in the regulation of the relationship between abaxial and adaxial stomatal conductances, growth-chamber-grown plants were exposed to solar radiation outdoors and to increased red light in the growth chamber. In both cases, the ratios of adaxial to abaxial stomatal conductance reverted to those typical of greenhouse plants. We investigated the hypothesis that adaxial stomata are more sensitive to blue light and abaxial stomata are more sensitive to red light. Measurements of stomatal apertures in mechanically isolated epidermal peels from growth chamber and greenhouse plants showed that adaxial stomata opened more under blue light than under red light, while abaxial stomata had the opposite response. Using HPLC, we quantified the chlorophylls and carotenoids extracted from isolated adaxial and abaxial guard cells. All pigments analysed were more abundant in the adaxial than in the abaxial guard cells. Antheraxanthin and β-carotene contents were 2·3 times higher in adaxial than in abaxial guard cells, comparing with ad/ab ratios of 1·5–1·9 for the other pigments. We conclude that adaxial and abaxial stomata from Pima cotton have a differential sensitivity to light quality and their distinct responses are correlated with different pigment content.     

Roles of CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 10 in Arabidopsis stomata development

Stomata are epidermal bi-celled structures that differentiate within special cell lineages initiated by a subset of protodermal cells. Recently, we showed that the Arabidopsis photomorphogenic repressor COP10 controls specific cell-lineage and cell-signaling developmental mechanisms in stomatal lineages. Loss-of-function cop10-1 mutant cotyledons and leaves produced (in the light and in the dark) abundant stomatal clusters, but nonlineage epidermal cells were not affected. Here we examine COP10 role in hypocotyls, cylindrical organs displaying a distinct epidermal organization with alternate files of protruding and non-protruding cells, with the latter producing a limited number of stomata. COP10 prevents stomatal clusters and restricts stomata production in hypocotyls; these roles are specific to lineage cells as in cotyledons, since COP10 loss of function does not elicit stomatal fate in nonlineage cells; COP10 also sustains the directional cell expansion of all hypocotyl epidermal cell types, and seems necessary for the differentiation between protruding and non-protruding cell files.     

龙牙花不同花器官的表皮形态

花的光合作用与气孔密度密切相关,但关于在花生长过程中气孔密度如何改变尚未见报道。以龙牙花（Erythrina corallodendron）花为实验材料,将花的生长期分为6个阶段,采用光学显微镜对不同阶段的花萼、旗瓣、翼瓣、龙骨瓣、雌蕊托、子房、花柱、花丝和花药表皮的形态特征、表皮细胞密度、气孔密度、保卫细胞长度及宽度进行研究,并对其光合作用的能力进行测定。结果发现：除了翼瓣和花丝表皮以外,气孔均分布在花朵的其它器官表皮上,如花萼、旗瓣、龙骨瓣、雌蕊托、子房、花柱和花药。气孔复合体主要有无规则型、平列型以及辐射型,但不同花器官存在的气孔类型具有差异。在花萼、旗瓣、龙骨瓣、翼瓣以及花丝生长过程中表皮细胞密度逐步下降,表明其生长主要由表皮细胞扩大引起;大部分花器官如花萼、旗瓣、龙骨瓣、雌蕊托和子房表皮的气孔密度在其生长中后期趋于稳定,然而其保卫细胞长度和宽度的变化规律具有多样性。旗瓣不进行光合作用。     

Structure and development of stomata on the primary root of Ceratonia siliqua L

Stomata of various sizes are produced on the primary root of Ceratonia siliqua L. Most are generated during embryogenesis, prior to seed desiccation. They can be detected on the dry embryo in a wide zone just above the root tip. Initially, large stomata are formed. These have the ability to induce divisions of their neighbouring cells, creating particular cell patterns around them. Later, small perigenous stomata are generated. As the root grows following seed germination, the stomatal zone overlaps with that of the root hairs. Although root stomata of C. siliqua undergo a structural differentiation that seems almost identical to that of the elliptical stomata formed on leaves, they are unable to move and remain permanently open. Polarizing microscopy of fully differentiated stomata and young stomata at the stage of stomatal pore formation revealed deposition of radial cellulose microfibril systems on their periclinal walls. However, these systems were less developed than those on leaf stomata, a feature that might be responsible for their inactivity. Besides, plastids of the root guard cells (GCs) do not differentiate into chloroplasts but function solely as amyloplasts. Root stomata have a short life span. During rapid and intense root growth, GCs cannot keep pace with the elongation of their neighbouring rhizodermal cells. They therefore split in their mid-region, transversely to the stoma axis. The two parts of the transversely torn stoma are dragged apart and a large opening is formed on the root surface, just above the substomatal cavity. The root stomata, together with these openings, may facilitate increased gaseous exchange during respiration and/or an increased transfer of some nutrients and water in the rapidly growing primary root.     

Purification and Characterization of the Cholinesterase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa A-16

The Cholinesterase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa A–16 was purified approximately 11,150-fold with an overall recovery of 15.2% and proved to be homogeneous by electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation and chromatography. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined as approximately 30,000 by equilibrium centrifugation and gel filtration methods. The sedimentation coefficient, S_20,w was determined to be 3.3 S. Isoelectric focusing electrophoresis with carrier ampholite revealed that the enzyme had an isoelectric point around pH 8.1.

The purified Cholinesterase, which was considered to be an acetylcholinesterase from its substrate specificity, hydrolyzed acetylthiocholine and acetylcholine at the highest rates among the various esters tested.

The estimated values of Km at pH 7.5 and 25°C were 1.5 × 10^?4 m for acetylthiocholine and 1.9 × 10^?4 m for acetylcholine. The enzyme also hydrolyzed the acetyl and propionyl esters of several aliphatic and aromatic alcohols at a lower rate which was entirely dependent on the properties of the alcohol moiety of those esters.     

Developmental mechanism and distribution pattern of stomatal clusters in Cinnamomum camphora

We report the stomatal cluster development mechanism and distribution pattern in Cinnamomum camphora. The results indicated that the clustered arrangement of meristemoids at the juvenile stage of the leaf development contributed greatly to the pattern of stomatal clusters. Additionally, division of an epidermal cell (EC), which is between small stomata, and growth of small stomata to push the ECs aside to become directly contacting had an impact on the development as well as the pattern of stomatal clusters. The latter way may play a more important role in stomata clustering of the wide-type C. camphora. There are no significant difference in the stomatal index (the number of stomata per the sum of the number of epidermal cells and the number of stomata) among different part of leaves, while the stomatal cluster index (the number of stomata in stomatal clusters per the total number of stomata) was found to increase gradually from the apex to the base and from the middle part to the marginal part of the leaf. The possible reason of this pattern was discussed. Published in Russian in Fiziologiya Rastenii, 2006, Vol. 53, No. 3, pp. 348–353. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Natural variation in stomatal abundance of Arabidopsis thaliana includes cryptic diversity for different developmental processes

Background and Aims

Current understanding of stomatal development in Arabidopsis thaliana is based on mutations producing aberrant, often lethal phenotypes. The aim was to discover if naturally occurring viable phenotypes would be useful for studying stomatal development in a species that enables further molecular analysis.

Methods

Natural variation in stomatal abundance of A. thaliana was explored in two collections comprising 62 wild accessions by surveying adaxial epidermal cell-type proportion (stomatal index) and density (stomatal and pavement cell density) traits in cotyledons and first leaves. Organ size variation was studied in a subset of accessions. For all traits, maternal effects derived from different laboratory environments were evaluated. In four selected accessions, distinct stomatal initiation processes were quantitatively analysed.

Key Results and Conclusions

Substantial genetic variation was found for all six stomatal abundance-related traits, which were weakly or not affected by laboratory maternal environments. Correlation analyses revealed overall relationships among all traits. Within each organ, stomatal density highly correlated with the other traits, suggesting common genetic bases. Each trait correlated between organs, supporting supra-organ control of stomatal abundance. Clustering analyses identified accessions with uncommon phenotypic patterns, suggesting differences among genetic programmes controlling the various traits. Variation was also found in organ size, which negatively correlated with cell densities in both organs and with stomatal index in the cotyledon. Relative proportions of primary and satellite lineages varied among the accessions analysed, indicating that distinct developmental components contribute to natural diversity in stomatal abundance. Accessions with similar stomatal indices showed different lineage class ratios, revealing hidden developmental phenotypes and showing that genetic determinants of primary and satellite lineage initiation combine in several ways. This first systematic, comprehensive natural variation survey for stomatal abundance in A. thaliana reveals cryptic developmental genetic variation, and provides relevant relationships amongst stomatal traits and extreme or uncommon accessions as resources for the genetic dissection of stomatal development.     

腹膜淋巴孔与淋巴转归NO-cGMP-Ca2+信号转导途径研究

为研究一氧化氮(nitric oxide,NO)调节大鼠腹膜淋巴孔和淋巴吸收的细胞内信号转导机制,在体外培养的间皮细胞上,利用cGMP检测试剂盒和激光共聚焦扫描显微镜,研究NO对间皮细胞内cGMP和游离钙离子浓度(Ca^2 )的影响;并利用动物实验研究NO-cGMP-Ca^2 通路对大鼠腹膜淋巴孔和淋巴吸收的影响。结果发现：(1)与对照组相比,NO供体Sper NO （spermine／nitric oxide complex)可以剂量依赖性地升高间皮细胞内cGMP的浓度(P＜0．01)。此作用可被可溶性鸟苷酸环化酶(soluble guanylyl cyclase,sGC)特异性抑制剂1H-[1,2,4]噁二唑[4．3-a]喹喔啉-1-one酮(1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one,ODQ)阻断(P＜0．05,P＜0．01)。Sper／NO可使间皮细胞内[Ca^2 ],相对水平降低(P＜0．05),但此效应可被ODQ阻断;L-型电压依赖性钙通道阻滞剂nifedipine,可使细胞内的[Ca^2 ];在短时间内迅速明显下降(P＜0．05),达平衡后再加入Sper／NO并不能引起[Ca^2 ];的进一步改变(P＞0．05);(2)NO可以剂量依赖性地提高大鼠膈组织淋巴孔最大分布面积(P＜0．01)和对示踪剂的吸收量(P＜0．05),ODQ可明显抑制NO引起的淋巴孔和淋巴吸收的改变(P＜0．01)。该结果首次发现nifedipine能显著增加淋巴孔最大分布面积(P＜0．01)及膈组织对台盼蓝的吸收量(P＜O．05),而且nifedipine预处理后Sper／NO并不能使淋巴孔的淋巴吸收进一步升高(P＞0．05)。结果提示,NO可以通过降低cGMP水平降低大鼠腹膜间皮[Ca^2 ],且此过程和L-型电压依赖性钙通道有关;NO可通过NO-cGMP-[Ca^2 ],通路,促进淋巴孔的开放和吸收。