NO可能作为H2O2的下游信号介导ABA诱导的蚕豆气孔关闭

ABA、H2O2和硝普钠(SNP)均能诱导蚕豆气孔关闭.NO的清除剂c-PTIO可以减轻由ABA或H2O2所诱导的蚕豆气孔关闭的程度,而过氧化氢酶(CAT)则不能减轻NO诱导的气孔关闭程度.激光共聚焦显微检测结果显示,10μmo1/L的ABA处理后,胞内H2O2的产生速率明显高于NO的产生速率;CAT几乎可完全抑制ABA所诱导的DAF的荧光增加;外源H2O2能显著诱导胞内DAF的荧光增加;c-PTIO对ABA诱导的DCF荧光略有促进作用,但外源SNP不能诱导胞内DCF荧光增加.这些结果表明,在ABA诱导气孔关闭过程中,H2O2可能在NO的上游起作用并受NO的负反馈调节.     

Cyclic adenosine 5′‐diphosphoribose (cADPR) cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate positively function in Ca2+ elevation in methyl jasmonate‐induced stomatal closure,cADPR is required for methyl jasmonate‐induced ROS accumulation NO production in guard cells

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) signalling shares several signal components with abscisic acid (ABA) signalling in guard cells. Cyclic adenosine 5′‐diphosphoribose (cADPR) and cyclic guanosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cGMP) are second messengers in ABA‐induced stomatal closure. In order to clarify involvement of cADPR and cGMP in MeJA‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana (Col‐0), we investigated effects of an inhibitor of cADPR synthesis, nicotinamide (NA), and an inhibitor of cGMP synthesis, LY83583 (LY, 6‐anilino‐5,8‐quinolinedione), on MeJA‐induced stomatal closure. Treatment with NA and LY inhibited MeJA‐induced stomatal closure. NA inhibited MeJA‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and nitric oxide (NO) production in guard cells. NA and LY suppressed transient elevations elicited by MeJA in cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) in guard cells. These results suggest that cADPR and cGMP positively function in [Ca²⁺]_cyt elevation in MeJA‐induced stomatal closure, are signalling components shared with ABA‐induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis, and that cADPR is required for MeJA‐induced ROS accumulation and NO production in Arabidopsis guard cells.     

Arabidopsis OST1 protein kinase mediates the regulation of stomatal aperture by abscisic acid and acts upstream of reactive oxygen species production

During drought, the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) triggers stomatal closure, thus reducing water loss. Using infrared thermography, we isolated two allelic Arabidopsis mutants (ost1-1 and ost1-2) impaired in the ability to limit their transpiration upon drought. These recessive ost1 mutations disrupted ABA induction of stomatal closure as well as ABA inhibition of light-induced stomatal opening. By contrast, the ost1 mutations did not affect stomatal regulation by light or CO(2), suggesting that OST1 is involved specifically in ABA signaling. The OST1 gene was isolated by positional cloning and was found to be expressed in stomatal guard cells and vascular tissue. In-gel assays indicated that OST1 is an ABA-activated protein kinase related to the Vicia faba ABA-activated protein kinase (AAPK). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were shown recently to be an essential intermediate in guard cell ABA signaling. ABA-induced ROS production was disrupted in ost1 guard cells, whereas applied H(2)O(2) or calcium elicited the same degree of stomatal closure in ost1 as in the wild type. These results suggest that OST1 acts in the interval between ABA perception and ROS production. The relative positions of ost1 and the other ABA-insensitive mutations in the ABA signaling network (abi1-1, abi2-1, and gca2) are discussed.     

The coronatine-insensitive 1 mutation reveals the hormonal signaling interaction between abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate in Arabidopsis guard cells. Specific impairment of ion channel activation and second messenger production

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) elicits stomatal closing similar to abscisic acid (ABA), but whether the two compounds use similar or different signaling mechanisms in guard cells remains to be clarified. We investigated the effects of MeJA and ABA on second messenger production and ion channel activation in guard cells of wild-type Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and MeJA-insensitive coronatine-insensitive 1 (coi1) mutants. The coi1 mutation impaired MeJA-induced stomatal closing but not ABA-induced stomatal closing. MeJA as well as ABA induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in wild-type guard cells, whereas MeJA did not induce production of ROS and NO in coi1 guard cells. The experiments using an inhibitor and scavengers demonstrated that both ROS and NO are involved in MeJA-induced stomatal closing as well as ABA-induced stomatal closing. Not only ABA but also MeJA activated slow anion channels and Ca(2+) permeable cation channels in the plasma membrane of wild-type guard cell protoplasts. However, in coi1 guard cell protoplasts, MeJA did not elicit either slow anion currents or Ca(2+) permeable cation currents, but ABA activated both types of ion channels. Furthermore, to elucidate signaling interaction between ABA and MeJA in guard cells, we examined MeJA signaling in ABA-insensitive mutant ABA-insensitive 2 (abi2-1), whose ABA signal transduction cascade has some disruption downstream of ROS production and NO production. MeJA also did not induce stomatal closing but stimulated production of ROS and NO in abi2-1. These results suggest that MeJA triggers stomatal closing via a receptor distinct from the ABA receptor and that the coi1 mutation disrupts MeJA signaling upstream of the blanch point of ABA signaling and MeJA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.     

Endogenous abscisic acid is involved in methyl jasmonate-induced reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production but not in cytosolic alkalization in Arabidopsis guard cells

We recently demonstrated that endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-induced stomatal closure in Arabidopsis thaliana. In this study, we investigated whether endogenous ABA is involved in MeJA-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production and cytosolic alkalization in guard cells using an ABA-deficient Arabidopsis mutant, aba2-2, and an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis, fluridon (FLU). The aba2-2 mutation impaired MeJA-induced ROS and NO production. FLU inhibited MeJA-induced ROS production in wild-type guard cells. Pretreatment with 0.1 μM ABA, which does not induce stomatal closure in the wild type, complemented the insensitivity to MeJA of the aba2-2 mutant. However, MeJA induced cytosolic alkalization in both wild-type and aba2-2 guard cells. These results suggest that endogenous ABA is involved in MeJA-induced ROS and NO production but not in MeJA-induced cytosolic alkalization in Arabidopsis guard cells.     

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.     

共聚焦显微技术研究ABA诱导蚕豆气孔保卫细胞H2O2的产生（简报）

The methods of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and microinjection were used to study ABA-induced H2O2 in guard cells (Vicia faba), which were labeled with H2O2 specific probe-2, 7-dichlorofluorescin diacetate(H2DCFDA). The results indicated 100 U/mL catalase (CAT) could inhibit partly stomatal closure induced by ABA. 10(-3) mmol/L ABA could significantly induce H2O2 production in chloroplast in guard cells of Vicia faba following microinjection, and 100 U/mL CAT could partly abolish the effects following simultaneous microinjection of ABA and CAT. These suggest that H2O2 is possibly involved in ABA signaling leading to stomatal closure.     

Negative Regulation of Methyl Jasmonate-Induced Stomatal Closure by Glutathione in Arabidopsis

Glutathione (GSH) has been shown to negatively regulate methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-induced stomatal closure. We investigated the roles of GSH in MeJA signaling in guard cells using an Arabidopsis mutant, cad2-1, that is deficient in the first GSH biosynthesis enzyme, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. MeJA-induced stomatal closure and decreased GSH contents in guard cells. Decreasing GSH by the cad2-1 mutation enhanced MeJA-induced stomatal closure. Depletion of GSH by the cad2-1 mutation or increment of GSH by GSH monoethyl ester did not affect either MeJA-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or MeJA-induced cytosolic alkalization in guard cells. MeJA and abscisic acid (ABA) induced stomatal closure and GSH depletion in atrbohD and atrbohF single mutants but not in the atrbohD atrbohF double mutant. Moreover, exogenous hydrogen peroxide induced stomatal closure but did not deplete GSH in guard cells. These results indicate that GSH affects MeJA signaling as well as ABA signaling and that GSH negatively regulates a signal component other than ROS production and cytosolic alkalization in MeJA signal pathway of Arabidopsis guard cells.     

共聚焦显微技术研究ABA诱导蚕豆气孔保卫细胞H_2O_2的产生(简报)

逆境下,植物细胞内ABA含量急剧增加,同时植物也可通过一些酶代谢反应积累活性氧,如H_2O_2,O_2~-。ABA作为逆境信号对气孔运动的显著调节作用已被诸多实验所证实,但关于其对气孔运动调节的细节还知之甚少。H_2O_2作为氧化信号分子在植物抗病信号转导中已得到广泛研究,但H_2O_2是否介导保卫细胞的气孔运动还缺乏直接的证据。我们已初步发现H_2O_2可参与外源ABA诱     

Effect of brassinolide, alone and in concert with abscisic acid, on control of stomatal aperture and potassium currents of Vicia faba guard cell protoplasts

The essential role of brassinosteroids (BRs) in normal plant growth, development and physiology has been established by the analysis of biosynthesis and signal transduction mutants. Some of the BR-related mutants also display altered sensitivity to the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) suggesting that BRs normally counteract the effects of ABA on root growth, seed germination, and possibly stomatal movement. In this study, the effect of a specific BR, brassinolide (BL), on guard cell function of Vicia faba was examined alone and in conjunction with ABA. Unlike other described plant responses, BL did not oppose the effect of ABA in regulation of stomatal movement. On the contrary, BL modulated stomatal aperture by promoting stomatal closure and inhibiting stomatal opening, functions of this hormone that were previously undescribed. This study also demonstrated a role for plant steroidal hormones in ion channel regulation: BL inhibited inwardly rectifying K⁺ currents of V. faba guard cell protoplasts in a manner similar to ABA. In both stomatal movement assays and whole-cell patch clamp experiments, the effects of BL and ABA applied together were not additive, suggesting that these two hormones may function in interacting pathways to regulate stomatal apertures and guard cell physiology.     

Roles of RCN1, regulatory A subunit of protein phosphatase 2A, in methyl jasmonate signaling and signal crosstalk between methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) as well as abscisic acid (ABA) induces stomatal closure with their signal crosstalk. We investigated the function of a regulatory A subunit of protein phosphatase 2A, RCN1, in MeJA signaling. Both MeJA and ABA failed to induce stomatal closure in Arabidopsis rcn1 knockout mutants unlike in wild-type plants. Neither MeJA nor ABA induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and suppressed inward-rectifying potassium channel activities in rcn1 mutants but not in wild-type plants. These results suggest that RCN1 functions upstream of ROS production and downstream of the branch point of MeJA signaling and ABA signaling in Arabidopsis guard cells.     

Reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide are involved in ABA inhibition of stomatal opening

Although nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential signalling molecules required for mediation of abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure, it is not known whether these molecules also mediate the ABA inhibition of stomatal opening. In this study, we investigated the role of NO and ROS in the ABA inhibition of stomatal opening in Vicia faba. ABA induced both NO and ROS synthesis, and the NO scavenger reduced the ABA inhibition of stomatal opening. Exogenous NO and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) also inhibited stomatal opening, indicating that NO and ROS are involved in the inhibition signalling process. An inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) reversed the ABA inhibition of stomatal opening. Either the NO scavenger or the NOS inhibitor also reversed the process in the H2O2 inhibition of stomatal opening. We found that in the ABA inhibition of stomatal opening, NO is downstream of ROS in the signalling process, and NO is synthesized by a NOS-like enzyme.     

ABA-induced NO generation and stomatal closure in Arabidopsis are dependent on H2O2 synthesis

Nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) are key signalling molecules produced in response to various stimuli and involved in a diverse range of plant signal transduction processes. Nitric oxide and H(2)O(2) have been identified as essential components of the complex signalling network inducing stomatal closure in response to the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). A close inter-relationship exists between ABA and the spatial and temporal production and action of both NO and H(2)O(2) in guard cells. This study shows that, in Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells, ABA-mediated NO generation is in fact dependent on ABA-induced H(2)O(2) production. Stomatal closure induced by H(2)O(2) is inhibited by the removal of NO with NO scavenger, and both ABA and H(2)O(2) stimulate guard cell NO synthesis. Conversely, NO-induced stomatal closure does not require H(2)O(2) synthesis nor does NO treatment induce H(2)O(2) production in guard cells. Tungstate inhibition of the NO-generating enzyme nitrate reductase (NR) attenuates NO production in response to nitrite in vitro and in response to H(2)O(2) and ABA in vivo. Genetic data demonstrate that NR is the major source of NO in guard cells in response to ABA-mediated H(2)O(2) synthesis. In the NR double mutant nia1, nia2 both ABA and H(2)O(2) fail to induce NO production or stomatal closure, but in the nitric oxide synthase deficient Atnos1 mutant, responses to H(2)O(2) are not impaired. Importantly, we show that in the NADPH oxidase deficient double mutant atrbohD/F, NO synthesis and stomatal closure to ABA are severely reduced, indicating that endogenous H(2)O(2) production induced by ABA is required for NO synthesis. In summary, our physiological and genetic data demonstrate a strong inter-relationship between ABA, endogenous H(2)O(2) and NO-induced stomatal closure.     

Protein phosphorylation and binding of a 14-3-3 protein in Vicia guard cells in response to ABA

Under drought stress, ABA promotes stomatal closure to prevent water loss. Although protein phosphorylation plays an important role in ABA signaling, little is known about these processes at the biochemical level. In this study, we searched for substrates of protein kinases in ABA signaling through the binding of a 14-3-3 protein to phosphorylated proteins using Vicia guard cell protoplasts. ABA induced binding of a 14-3-3 protein to proteins with molecular masses of 61, 43 and 39 kDa, with the most remarkable signal for the 61 kDa protein. The ABA-induced binding to the 61 kDa protein occurred only in guard cells, and reached a maximum within 3 min at 1 microM ABA. The 61 kDa protein localized in the cytosol. ABA induced the binding of endogenous vf14-3-3a to the 61 kDa protein in guard cells. Autophosphorylation of ABA-activated protein kinase (AAPK), which mediates anion channel activation, and ABA-induced phosphorylation of the 61 kDa protein showed similar time courses and similar sensitivities to the protein kinase inhibitor K-252a. AAPK elicits the binding of the 14-3-3 protein to the 61 kDa protein in vitro when AAPK in guard cells was activated by ABA. The phosphorylation of the 61 kDa protein by ABA was not affected by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor, H(2)O(2), W-7 or EGTA. From these results, we conclude that the 61 kDa protein may be a substrate for AAPK and that the 61 kDa protein is located upstream of H(2)O(2) and Ca(2+), or on Ca(2+)-independent signaling pathways in guard cells.     

Methyl jasmonate signaling and signal crosstalk between methyl jasmonate and abscisic acid in guard cells

Plants tightly control stomatal aperture in response to various environmental changes. A drought-inducible phytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA), triggers stomatal closure and ABA signaling pathway in guard cells has been well studied. Similar to ABA, methyl jasmonate (MeJA) induces stomatal closure in various plant species but MeJA signaling pathway is still far from clear. Recently we found that Arabidopsis calcium dependent protein kinase CPK6 functions as a positive regulator in guard cell MeJA signaling and provided new insights into cytosolic Ca²⁺-dependent MeJA signaling. Here we discuss the MeJA signaling and also signal crosstalk between MeJA and ABA pathways in guard cells.Key words: methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid, guard cell, reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, calciumStomata, which are formed by pairs of specialized cells called guard cells, control gas exchanges and transpirational water loss. Guard cells can shrink and swell in response to various physiological stimuli, resulting in stomatal closing and opening.^1,2 To optimize growth under various environmental conditions, plants have developed fine-tuned signal pathway in guard cells. Abscisic acid (ABA) is synthesized under drought stress and induces stomatal closure to reduce transpirational water loss.² ABA signal transduction in guard cells has been widely studied. ABA induces increases of various second messengers such as cytosolic Ca²⁺, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) in guard cells. These early signal components finally evoke ion efflux through plasma membrane ion channels, resulting in reduction of guard cell turgor pressure.Jasmonates are plant hormones synthesized via the octadecanoid pathway and regulate various physiological processes in plants such as pollen maturation, tendril coiling, senescence and responses to wounding and pathogen attacks.³ Similar to ABA, jasmonates also trigger stomatal closure and the response is conserved among various plant species including Arabidopsis thaliana,⁴ Hordeum vulgare,⁵ Commelina benghalensis,⁶ Vicia faba,⁷ Nicotiana glauca,⁸ Paphiopedilum Supersuk⁹ and Paphiopedilum tonsum.⁹ A volatile methyl ester of jasmonic acid (JA), methy jasmonate (MeJA), has been widely used for studying jasmonate signaling pathway. To date, pharmacological and reverse genetic approaches have revealed many important signal components involved in MeJA-induced stomatal closure and suggest a signal crosstalk between MeJA and ABA in guard cells. In this review, we mainly focus on the three important second messengers, ROS, NO and cytosolic Ca²⁺ and discuss recent advance about MeJA signaling and signal interaction between MeJA and ABA in guard cells.     

Anion-Channel Blockers Inhibit S-Type Anion Channels and Abscisic Acid Responses in Guard Cells

The effects of anion-channel blockers on light-mediated stomatal opening, on the potassium dependence of stomatal opening, on stomatal responses to abscisic acid (ABA), and on current through slow anion channels in the plasma membrane of guard cells were investigated. The anion-channel blockers anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (9-AC) and niflumic acid blocked current through slow anion channels of Vicia faba L. guard cells. Both 9-AC and niflumic acid reversed ABA inhibition of stomatal opening in V. faba L. and Commelina communis L. The anion-channel blocker probenecid also abolished ABA inhibition of stomatal opening in both species. Additional tests of 9-AC effects on stomatal aperture in Commelina revealed that application of this anion-channel blocker allowed wide stomatal opening under low (1 mM) KCI conditions and increased the rate of stomatal opening under both low and high (100 mM) KCI conditions. These results indicate that anion channels can function as a negative regulator of stomatal opening, presumably by allowing anion efflux and depolarization, which prohibits ion up-take in guard cells. Furthermore, 9-AC prevented ABA induction of stomatal closure. A model in which ABA activation of anion channels contributes a rate-limiting mechanism during ABA-induced stomatal closure and inhibition of stomatal opening is discussed.     

Differential requirement for NO during ABA-induced stomatal closure in turgid and wilted leaves

Abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure is mediated by a complex, guard cell signalling network involving nitric oxide (NO) as a key intermediate. However, there is a lack of information concerning the role of NO in the ABA-enhanced stomatal closure seen in dehydrated plants. The data herein demonstrate that, while nitrate reductase (NR)1-mediated NO generation is required for the ABA-induced closure of stomata in turgid leaves, it is not required for ABA-enhanced stomatal closure under conditions leading to rapid dehydration. The results also show that NO signalling in the guard cells of turgid leaves requires the ABA-signalling pathway to be both capable of function and active. The alignment of this NO signalling with guard cell Ca²⁺-dependent/independent ABA signalling is discussed. The data also highlight a physiological role for NO signalling in turgid leaves and show that stomatal closure during the light-to-dark transition requires NR1-mediated NO generation and signalling.     

Pyrabactin, an ABA agonist, induced stomatal closure and changes in signalling components of guard cells in abaxial epidermis of Pisum sativum

Pyrabactin, a synthetic agonist of abscisic acid (ABA), inhibits seed germination and hypocotyl growth and stimulates gene expression in a very similar way to ABA, implying the possible modulation of stomatal function by pyrabactin as well. The effect of pyrabactin on stomatal closure and secondary messengers was therefore studied in guard cells of Pisum sativum abaxial epidermis. Pyrabactin caused marked stomatal closure in a pattern similar to ABA. In addition, pyrabactin elevated the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and cytoplasmic pH levels in guard cells, as indicated by the respective fluorophores. However, apyrabactin, an inactive analogue of ABA, did not affect either stomatal closure or the signalling components of guard cells. The effects of pyrabactin-induced changes were reversed by pharmalogical compounds that modulate ROS, NO or cytoplasmic pH levels, quite similar to ABA effects. Fusicoccin, a fungal toxin, could reverse the stomatal closure caused by pyrabactin, as well as that caused by ABA. Experiments on stomatal closure by varying concentrations of ABA, in the presence of fixed concentration of pyrabactin, and vice versa, revealed that the actions of ABA and pyrabactin were additive. Further kinetic analysis of data revealed that the apparent K(D) of ABA was increased almost 4-fold in the presence of ABA, suggesting that pyrabactin and ABA were competing with each other either at the same site or close to the active site. It is proposed that pyrabactin could be used to examine the ABA-related signal-transduction components in stomatal guard cells as well as in other plant tissues. It is also suggested that pyrabactin can be used as an antitranspirant or as a priming agent for improving the drought tolerance of crop plants.     

Visualization of abscisic acid-perception sites on the plasma membrane of stomatal guard cells

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that plays a key role as a stress signal, regulating water relations during drought conditions, by inducing stomatal closure. However, to date, no putative ABA receptor(s) has been reported at the protein sequence, gene family, or cellular localization levels. We used biotinylated ABA (bioABA) to characterize the ABA-perception sites in the stomatal guard cells of Vicia faba. Treatment with bioABA induced stomatal closure and shrinkage of guard cell protoplasts (GCPs). The ABA-perception sites were visualized by fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), using bioABA and fluorescence-labeled avidin. Fluorescent particles were observed in patches on the surface of the GCPs. Fluorescence intensity was quantified by flow cytometry (FCM) as well as by CLSM. Binding of bioABA was inhibited by ABA in a dose-dependent manner. Pre-treatment of GCPs with proteinase K also blocked the binding of bioABA. Binding of bioABA was inhibited by RCA-7a, an ABA analog that induces stomatal closure, but not by RCA-16, which has no effect on stomatal aperture. Another ABA analog, PBI-51, inhibited ABA-induced stomatal closure. This ABA antagonist also inhibited binding of bioABA to the GCPs. These results suggest that ABA is perceived on the plasma membrane of stomatal guard cells, and that the present experimental methods constitute valuable tools for characterizing the nature of the ABA receptor(s) that perceives physiological ABA signals. These imaging studies allow us to demonstrate the spatial distribution of the ABA-perception sites. Visualization of the ABA-perception sites provides new insights into the nature of membrane-associated ABA receptor(s).