Involvement of Calmodulin and Calmodulin-Dependent Myosin Light Chain Kinase in Blue Light-Dependent H Pumping by Guard Cell Protoplasts from Vicia faba L

Signal transduction processes involved in blue light-dependent proton pumping were investigated using guard cell protoplasts from Vicia faba. N-[2-(Methylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide, an inhibitor of cyclic AMP- and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases, had no effect. 1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7) and calphostin C, inhibitors of protein kinase C, produced slight inhibition of the blue light-dependent proton pumping. 1-[N, O-Bis(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-l-tyrosyl] -4-phenylpiperazine, a specific inhibitor of Ca²⁺/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase II, did not inhibit the proton pumping, but 1-(5-iodonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine and 1-(5-chloro-naphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine (ML-9), inhibitors of Ca²⁺/CaM-dependent myosin light chain kinase, strongly suppressed the proton pumping. A CaM antagonist, N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), inhibited blue light-dependent proton pumping, whereas its less active structural analog, N-(6-aminohexyl)-1-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-5), had little effect on the response. Other CaM antagonists, trifluoperazine, compound 48/80, prenylamine, and 3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-4,5-dimethoxy-N-[3-(4-phenyl-piperidinyl)- propylbenzenesulfonamide inhibited the proton pumping. In accord with these results, light-induced stomatal opening in the epidermis of Commelina benghalensis ssp. was inhibited by ML-9 and W-7, but not by H-7 and W-5. Thus, it is concluded that CaM and Ca²⁺/CaM-dependent myosin light chain kinase are the components of the signal transduction process in blue light-dependent proton pumping in guard cells.