ABA signaling in stomatal guard cells: lessons from Commelina and Vicia

Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling mechanisms have been studied in a broad variety of plant species using complementary analyses, taking advantage of different methodologies suitable for each plant species. Early studies on ABA biosynthesis using Solanum lycopersicum mutants suggested an importance of ABA synthesis in stomatal closure. To understand ABA signaling in guard cells, cellular, biochemical and electrophysiological studies in Vicia faba and Commelina communis have been conducted, providing fundamental knowledge that was further reconfirmed by molecular genetic studies of Arabidopsis. In this article, examples of stomatal studies in several plants and prospects in ABA research are discussed.

Microcystin-LR induced oxidative stress and ultrastructural alterations in mesophyll cells of submerged macrophyte Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara

Microcystins produced by cyanobacteria in the aquatic environment are a potential risk to aquatic plants. In the present study, the uptake of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and related physiological and biochemical effects on Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara were investigated at concentrations of 0.1-25.0 μg L(-1). Results showed that O(2)(-) intensity was significantly induced at 1.0 μg L(-1) and reached a maximum level at 5.0 μg L(-1). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) were induced with increasing MC-LR concentrations as an antioxidant response. Catalase (CAT) was significantly induced while GSH/GSSG (reduced/oxidized glutathione) ratio was significantly reduced at 0.1 μg L(-1). The induction of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and inhibition of GSH revealed that GSH was involved in the detoxification of MC-LR in plants. Oxidative damage was evidenced by the significant increase of malondialdehyde content at 1.0 μg L(-1). A pigment pattern change and a series of significant ultrastructural alterations were also observed due to MC-LR exposure. The lowest non-effect concentration of MC-LR for V. natans at the subcellular and molecular level is around 0.5 μg L(-1). These results imply that even at relatively low MC-LR concentrations the aquatic plants may still suffer a negative ecological impact.

Disentangling the contributions of ontogeny and water stress to photosynthetic limitations in almond trees

Very few studies have attempted to disentangle the respective role of ontogeny and water stress on leaf photosynthetic attributes. The relative significance of both effects on photosynthetic attributes has been investigated in leaves of field-grown almond trees [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb] during four growth cycles. Leaf ontogeny resulted in enhanced leaf dry weight per unit area (W(a)), greater leaf dry-to-fresh weight ratio and lower N content per unit of leaf dry weight (N(w)). Concomitantly, area-based maximum carboxylation rate (V(cmax)), maximum electron transport rate (J(max)), mesophyll conductance to CO₂ diffusion (gm)' and light-saturated net photosynthesis (A(max)) declined in both well-watered and water-stressed almond leaves. Although g(m) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) seemed to be co-ordinated, a much stronger coordination in response to ontogeny and prolonged water stress was observed between g(m) and the leaf photosynthetic capacity. Under unrestricted water supply, the leaf age-related decline of A(max) was equally driven by diffusional and biochemical limitations. Under restricted soil water availability, A(max) was mainly limited by g(s) and, to a lesser extent, by photosynthetic capacity and g(m). When both ontogeny and water stress effects were combined, diffusional limitations was the main determinant of photosynthesis limitation, while stomatal and biochemical limitations contributed similarly.

Flavonols accumulate asymmetrically and affect auxin transport in Arabidopsis

Flavonoids represent a class of secondary metabolites with diverse functions in plants including ultraviolet protection, pathogen defense, and interspecies communication. They are also known as modulators of signaling processes in plant and animal systems and therefore are considered to have beneficial effects as nutraceuticals. The rol1-2 (for repressor of lrx1) mutation of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) induces aberrant accumulation of flavonols and a cell-growth phenotype in the shoot. The hyponastic cotyledons, aberrant shape of pavement cells, and deformed trichomes in rol1-2 mutants are suppressed by blocking flavonoid biosynthesis, suggesting that the altered flavonol accumulation in these plants induces the shoot phenotype. Indeed, the identification of several transparent testa, myb, and fls1 (for flavonol synthase1) alleles in a rol1-2 suppressor screen provides genetic evidence that flavonols interfere with shoot development in rol1-2 seedlings. The increased accumulation of auxin in rol1-2 seedlings appears to be caused by a flavonol-induced modification of auxin transport. Quantification of auxin export from mesophyll protoplasts revealed that naphthalene-1-acetic acid but not indole-3-acetic acid transport is affected by the rol1-2 mutation. Inhibition of flavonol biosynthesis in rol1-2 fls1-3 restores naphthalene-1-acetic acid transport to wild-type levels, indicating a very specific mode of action of flavonols on the auxin transport machinery.

Lessons from engineering a single-cell C(4) photosynthetic pathway into rice

The transfer of C(4) plant traits into C(3) plants has long been a strategy for improving the photosynthetic performance of C(3) plants. The introduction of a pathway mimicking the C(4) photosynthetic pathway into the mesophyll cells of C(3) plants was only a realistic approach when transgenic technology was sufficiently well developed and widely adopted. Here an attempt to introduce a single-cell C(4)-like pathway in which CO(2) capture and release occur in the mesophyll cell, such as the one found in the aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle, into rice (Oryza sativa L.) is described. Four enzymes involved in this pathway were successfully overproduced in the transgenic rice leaves, and 12 different sets of transgenic rice that overproduce these enzymes independently or in combination were produced and analysed. Although none of these transformants has yet shown dramatic improvements in photosynthesis, these studies nonetheless have important implications for the evolution of C(4) photosynthetic genes and their metabolic regulation, and have shed light on the unique aspects of rice physiology and metabolism. This article summarizes the lessons learned during these attempts to engineer single-cell C(4) rice.

Determination of the site of CO₂ sensing in poplar: is the area-based N content and anatomy of new leaves determined by their immediate CO₂ environment or by the CO₂ environment of mature leaves?

Exposure to an elevated CO(2) concentration ([CO(2)]) generally decreases leaf N content per unit area (N(area)) and stomatal density, and increases leaf thickness. Mature leaves can 'sense' elevated [CO(2)] and this regulates stomatal development of expanding leaves (systemic regulation). It is unclear if systemic regulation is involved in determination of leaf thickness and N(area)-traits that are significantly correlated with photosynthetic capacity. A cuvette system was used whereby [CO(2)] around mature leaves was controlled separately from that around expanding leaves. Expanding leaves of poplar (Populus trichocarpa×P. deltoides) seedlings were exposed to elevated [CO(2)] (720 μmol mol(-1)) while the remaining mature leaves inside the cuvette were under ambient [CO(2)] of 360 μmol mol(-1). Reverse treatments were performed. Exposure of newly developing leaves to elevated [CO(2)] increased their thickness, but when mature leaves were exposed to elevated [CO(2)] the increase in thickness of new leaves was less pronounced. The largest response to [CO(2)] was reflected in the palisade tissue thickness (as opposed to the spongy tissue) of new leaves. The N(area) of new leaves was unaffected by the local [CO(2)] where the new leaves developed, but decreased following the exposure of mature leaves to elevated [CO(2)]. The volume fraction of mesophyll cells compared with total leaf and the mesophyll cell density changed in a manner similar to the response of N(area). These results suggest that N(area) is controlled independently of the leaf thickness, and suggest that N(area) is under systemic regulation by [CO(2)] signals from mature leaves that control mesophyll cell division.

Differential effects of the brefeldin A analogue (6R)-hydroxy-BFA in tobacco and Arabidopsis

The effects of two brefeldin A (BFA) analogues (BFA lactam; 6(R)-hydroxy-BFA) on plant cells were tested. Although these two compounds elicited BFA-like effects in mammalian cells, the lactam analogue failed to elicit a response in plant cells. By contrast, while the 6(R)-hydroxy-BFA analogue gave rise to a classic BFA response in tobacco mesophyll protoplasts and true leaves of Arabidopsis (redistribution of Golgi enzymes into the ER), it failed to cause the formation of BFA-compartments in Arabidopsis root cells and cotyledonary leaves. Even when the GNL1-LM mutant of Arabidopsis, which has a cis-Golgi located BFA-sensitive ARF-GEF, was used, the 6(R)-hydroxy analogue failed to elicit a response at conventional BFA concentrations. Only at concentrations of over 200 μM did 6(R)-hydroxy-BFA elicit a BFA-like effect. These differences are interpreted in terms of the different properties of the respective TGN- (Arabidopsis roots) and cis-Golgi- (tobacco mesophyll) localized BFA-sensitive ARF-GEFs.

Visualisation of stromules in transgenic wheat expressing a plastid-targeted yellow fluorescent protein

Stromules are stroma-filled tubules that extend from the plastids in all multicellular plants examined to date. To facilitate the visualisation of stromules on different plastid types in various tissues of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a chimeric gene construct encoding enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) targeted to plastids with the transit peptide of wheat granule-bound starch synthase I was introduced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The gene construct was under the control of the rice Actin1 promoter, and EYFP fluorescence was detected in plastids in all cell types throughout the transgenic plants. Stromules were observed on all plastid types, although the stromule length and abundance varied markedly in different tissues. The longest stromules (up to 40 μm) were observed in epidermal cells of leaves, whereas only short beak-like stromules were observed on chloroplasts in mesophyll cells. Epidermal cells in leaves and roots contained the highest proportion of plastids with stromules, and stromules were also abundant on amyloplasts in the endosperm tissue of developing seeds. The general features of stromule morphology and distribution were similar to those shown previously for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.).

Magnesium transporters, MGT2/MRS2-1 and MGT3/MRS2-5, are important for magnesium partitioning within Arabidopsis thaliana mesophyll vacuoles

• Magnesium accumulates at high concentrations in dicotyledonous leaves but it is not known in which leaf cell types it accumulates, by what mechanism this occurs and the role it plays when stored in the vacuoles of these cell types. • Cell-specific vacuolar elemental profiles from Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) leaves were analysed by X-ray microanalysis under standard and serpentine hydroponic growth conditions and correlated with the cell-specific complement of magnesium transporters identified through microarray analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). • Mesophyll cells accumulate the highest vacuolar concentration of magnesium in Arabidopsis leaves and are enriched for members of the MGT/MRS2 family of magnesium transporters. Specifically, AtMGT2/AtMRS2-1 and AtMGT3/AtMRS2-5 were shown to be targeted to the tonoplast and corresponding T-DNA insertion lines had perturbed mesophyll-specific vacuolar magnesium accumulation under serpentine conditions. Furthermore, transcript abundance of these genes was correlated with the accumulation of magnesium under serpentine conditions, in a low calcium-accumulating mutant and across 23 Arabidopsis ecotypes varying in their leaf magnesium concentrations. • We implicate magnesium as a key osmoticum required to maintain growth in low calcium concentrations in Arabidopsis. Furthermore, two tonoplast-targeted members of the MGT/MRS2 family are shown to contribute to this mechanism under serpentine conditions.

The role of transitory starch in C(3), CAM, and C(4) metabolism and opportunities for engineering leaf starch accumulation

Essentially all plants store starch in their leaves during the day and break it down the following night. This transitory starch accumulation acts as an overflow mechanism when the sucrose synthesis capacity is limiting, and transitory starch also acts as a carbon store to provide sugar at night. Transitory starch breakdown can occur by either of two pathways; significant progress has been made in understanding these pathways in C(3) plants. The hydrolytic (amylolytic) pathway generating maltose appears to be the primary source of sugar for export from C(3) chloroplasts at night, whereas the phosphorolytic pathway supplies carbon for chloroplast reactions, in particular in the light. In crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants, the hydrolytic pathway predominates when plants operate in C(3) mode, but the phosphorolytic pathway predominates when they operate in CAM mode. Information on transitory starch metabolism in C(4) plants has now become available as a result of combined microscopy and proteome studies. Starch accumulates in all cell types in immature maize leaf tissue, but in mature leaf tissues starch accumulation ceases in mesophyll cells except when sugar export from leaves is blocked. Proper regulation of the amount of carbon that goes into starch, the pathway of starch breakdown, and the location of starch accumulation could help ensure that engineering of C(4) metabolism is coordinated with the downstream reactions required for efficient photosynthesis.

Allocation of Fe and ferric chelate reductase activities in mesophyll cells of barley and sorghum under Fe-deficient conditions

Although the photosynthetic apparatus requires large amounts of Fe, the adaptive mechanisms of mesophyll cells for Fe acquisition under Fe-deficient conditions are unknown. Barley and sorghum, which are tolerant and susceptible to Fe deficiency, respectively, have similar Fe and chlorophyll contents in their leaves. However, the Fe-deficient barley photosynthetic apparatus was functional while that of sorghum was not. We show that barley preferentially allocates Fe to thylakoid membranes under Fe-deficient conditions. On the other hand, in sorghum, the proportion of leaf Fe allocated to thylakoids was not altered by Fe deficiency. The relationship between the maintenance of photosynthesis and light-dependent ferric chelate reductase activity on plasma membranes and chloroplast envelopes is also discussed.

The cellular energization state affects peripheral stalk stability of plant vacuolar H+-ATPase and impairs vacuolar acidification

The plant vacuolar H(+)-ATPase takes part in acidifying compartments of the endomembrane system including the secretory pathway and the vacuoles. The structural variability of the V-ATPase complex as well as its presence in different compartments and tissues involves multiple isoforms of V-ATPase subunits. Furthermore, a versatile regulation is essential to allow for organelle- and tissue-specific fine tuning. In this study, results from V-ATPase complex disassembly with a chaotropic reagent, immunodetection and in vivo fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses point to a regulatory mechanism in plants, which depends on energization and involves the stability of the peripheral stalks as well. Lowering of cellular ATP by feeding 2-deoxyglucose resulted in structural alterations within the V-ATPase, as monitored by changes in FRET efficiency between subunits VHA-E and VHA-C. Potassium iodide-mediated disassembly revealed a reduced stability of V-ATPase after 2-deoxyglucose treatment of the cells, but neither the complete V(1)-sector nor VHA-C was released from the membrane in response to 2-deoxyglucose treatment, precluding a reversible dissociation mechanism like in yeast. These data suggest the existence of a regulatory mechanism of plant V-ATPase by modification of the peripheral stator structure that is linked to the cellular energization state. This mechanism is distinct from reversible dissociation as reported for the yeast V-ATPase, but might represent an evolutionary precursor of reversible dissociation.

Characterization of a transport activity for long-chain peptides in barley mesophyll vacuoles

The plant vacuole is the largest compartment in a fully expanded plant cell. While only very limited metabolic activity can be observed within the vacuole, the majority of the hydrolytic activities, including proteolytic activities reside in this organelle. Since it is assumed that protein degradation by the proteasome results in the production of peptides with a size of 3-30 amino acids, we were interested to show whether the tonoplast exhibits a transport activity, which could deliver these peptides into the vacuole for final degradation. It is shown here that isolated barley mesophyll vacuoles take up peptides of 9-27 amino acids in a strictly ATP-dependent manner. Uptake is inhibited by vanadate, but not by NH(+)(4), while GTP could partially substitute for ATP. The apparent affinity for the 9 amino acid peptide was 15 μM, suggesting that peptides are efficiently transferred to the vacuole in vivo. Inhibition experiments showed that peptides with a chain length below 10 amino acids did not compete as efficiently as longer peptides for the uptake of the 9 amino acid peptide. Our results suggest that vacuoles contain at least one peptide transporter that belongs to the ABC-type transporters, which efficiently exports long-chain peptides from the cytosol into the vacuole for final degradation.

A conserved, Mg²+-dependent exonuclease degrades organelle DNA during Arabidopsis pollen development

In plant cells, mitochondria and plastids contain their own genomes derived from the ancestral bacteria endosymbiont. Despite their limited genetic capacity, these multicopy organelle genomes account for a substantial fraction of total cellular DNA, raising the question of whether organelle DNA quantity is controlled spatially or temporally. In this study, we genetically dissected the organelle DNA decrease in pollen, a phenomenon that appears to be common in most angiosperm species. By staining mature pollen grains with fluorescent DNA dye, we screened Arabidopsis thaliana for mutants in which extrachromosomal DNAs had accumulated. Such a recessive mutant, termed defective in pollen organelle DNA degradation1 (dpd1), showing elevated levels of DNAs in both plastids and mitochondria, was isolated and characterized. DPD1 encodes a protein belonging to the exonuclease family, whose homologs appear to be found in angiosperms. Indeed, DPD1 has Mg²⁺-dependent exonuclease activity when expressed as a fusion protein and when assayed in vitro and is highly active in developing pollen. Consistent with the dpd phenotype, DPD1 is dual-targeted to plastids and mitochondria. Therefore, we provide evidence of active organelle DNA degradation in the angiosperm male gametophyte, primarily independent of maternal inheritance; the biological function of organellar DNA degradation in pollen is currently unclear.

Using tunable diode laser spectroscopy to measure carbon isotope discrimination and mesophyll conductance to CO₂ diffusion dynamically at different CO₂ concentrations

In C₃ leaves, the mesophyll conductance to CO₂ diffusion, g(m) , determines the drawdown in CO₂ concentration from intercellular airspace to the chloroplast stroma. Both g(m) and stomatal conductance limit photosynthetic rate and vary in response to the environment. We investigated the response of g(m) to changes in CO₂ in two Arabidopsis genotypes (including a mutant with open stomata, ost1), tobacco and wheat. We combined measurements of gas exchange with carbon isotope discrimination using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy with a CO₂ calibration system specially designed for a range of CO₂ and O₂ concentrations. CO₂ was initially increased from 200 to 1000 ppm and then decreased stepwise to 200 ppm and increased stepwise back to 1000 ppm, or the sequence was reversed. In 2% O₂ a step increase from 200 to 1000 ppm significantly decreased g(m) by 26-40% in all three species, whereas following a step decrease from 1000 to 200 ppm, the 26-38% increase in g(m) was not statistically significant. The response of g(m) to CO₂ was less in 21% O₂. Comparing wild type against the ost1 revealed that mesophyll and stomatal conductance varied independently in response to CO₂. We discuss the effects of isotope fractionation factors on estimating g(m) .

Analysis of ven3 and ven6 reticulate mutants reveals the importance of arginine biosynthesis in Arabidopsis leaf development

Arabidopsis thaliana reticulate mutants exhibit differential pigmentation of the veinal and interveinal leaf regions, a visible phenotype that often indicates impaired mesophyll development. We performed a metabolomic analysis of one ven6 (venosa6) and three ven3 reticulate mutants that revealed altered levels of arginine precursors, namely increased ornithine and reduced citrulline levels. In addition, the mutants were more sensitive than the wild-type to exogenous ornithine, and leaf reticulation and mesophyll defects of these mutants were completely rescued by exogenous citrulline. Taken together, these results indicate that ven3 and ven6 mutants experience a blockage of the conversion of ornithine into citrulline in the arginine pathway. Consistent with the participation of VEN3 and VEN6 in the same pathway, the morphological phenotype of ven3 ven6 double mutants was synergistic. Map-based cloning showed that the VEN3 and VEN6 genes encode subunits of Arabidopsis carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPS), which is assumed to be required for the conversion of ornithine into citrulline in arginine biosynthesis. Heterologous expression of the Arabidopsis VEN3 and VEN6 genes in a CPS-deficient Escherichia coli strain fully restored bacterial growth in minimal medium, demonstrating the enzymatic activity of the VEN3 and VEN6 proteins, and indicating a conserved role for CPS in these distinct and distant species. Detailed study of the reticulate leaf phenotype in the ven3 and ven6 mutants revealed that mesophyll development is highly sensitive to impaired arginine biosynthesis.

Cadmium uptake and sequestration kinetics in individual leaf cell protoplasts of the Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens

Hyperaccumulators store accumulated metals in the vacuoles of large leaf epidermal cells (storage cells). For investigating cadmium uptake, we incubated protoplasts obtained from leaves of Thlaspi caerulescens (Ganges ecotype) with a Cd-specific fluorescent dye. A fluorescence kinetic microscope was used for selectively measuring Cd-uptake and photosynthesis in different cell types, so that physical separation of cell types was not necessary. Few minutes after its addition, cadmium accumulated in the cytoplasm before its transport into the vacuole. This demonstrated that vacuolar sequestration is the rate-limiting step in cadmium uptake into protoplasts of all leaf cell types. During accumulation in the cytoplasm, Cd-rich vesicle-like structures were observed. Cd uptake rates into epidermal storage cells were higher than into standard-sized epidermal cells and mesophyll cells. This shows that the preferential heavy metal accumulation in epidermal storage cells, previously observed for several metals in intact leaves of various hyperaccumulator species, is due to differences in active metal transport and not differences in passive mechanisms like transpiration stream transport or cell wall adhesion. Combining this with previous studies, it seems likely that the transport steps over the plasma and tonoplast membranes of leaf epidermal storage cells are driving forces behind the hyperaccumulation phenotype.

A mutation in Arabidopsis seedling plastid development1 affects plastid differentiation in embryo-derived tissues during seedling growth

Oilseed plants like Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) develop green photosynthetically active embryos. Upon seed maturation, the embryonic chloroplasts degenerate into a highly reduced plastid type called the eoplast. Upon germination, eoplasts redifferentiate into chloroplasts and other plastid types. Here, we describe seedling plastid development1 (spd1), an Arabidopsis seedling albino mutant capable of producing normal green vegetative tissues. Mutant seedlings also display defects in etioplast and amyloplast development. Precocious germination of spd1 embryos showed that the albino seedling phenotype of spd1 was dependent on the passage of developing embryos through the degreening and dehydration stages of seed maturation, suggesting that SPD1 is critical during eoplast development or early stages of eoplast redifferentiation. The SPD1 gene was found to encode a protein containing a putative chloroplast-targeting sequence in its amino terminus and also domains common to P-loop ATPases. Chloroplast localization of the SPD1 protein was confirmed by targeting assays in vivo and in vitro. Although the exact function of SPD1 remains to be defined, our findings reveal aspects of plastid development unique to embryo-derived cells.

Dynamic changes of canopy-scale mesophyll conductance to CO₂ diffusion of sunflower as affected by CO₂ concentration and abscisic acid

Leaf-level measurements have shown that mesophyll conductance (g(m)) can vary rapidly in response to CO₂ and other environmental factors, but similar studies at the canopy-scale are missing. Here, we report the effect of short-term variation of CO₂ concentration on canopy-scale g(m) and other CO₂ exchange parameters of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) stands in the presence and absence of abscisic acid (ABA) in their nutrient solution. g(m) was estimated from gas exchange and on-line carbon isotope discrimination (Δ(obs)) in a ¹³CO₂/¹²CO₂) gas exchange mesocosm. The isotopic contribution of (photo)respiration to stand-scale Δ(obs) was determined with the experimental approach of Tcherkez et al. Without ABA, short-term exposures to different CO₂ concentrations (C(a) 100 to 900 µmol mol⁻¹) had little effect on canopy-scale g(m) . But, addition of ABA strongly altered the CO₂-response: g(m) was high (approx. 0.5 mol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹) at C(a) <200 µmol mol⁻¹ and decreased to <0.1 mol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹ at C(a) >400 µmol mol⁻¹. In the absence of ABA, the contribution of (photo)respiration to stand-scale Δ(obs) was high at low C(a) (7.2 ‰) and decreased to <2 ‰ at C(a) > 400 µmol mol⁻¹. Treatment with ABA halved this effect at all C(a) .

Plasmodesmal receptor-like kinases identified through analysis of rice cell wall extracted proteins

In plants, plasmodesmata (PD) are intercellular channels that function in both metabolite exchange and the transport of proteins and RNAs. Currently, many of the PD structural and regulatory components remain to be elucidated. Receptor-like kinases (RLKs) belonging to a notably expanded protein family in plants compared to the animal kingdom have been shown to play important roles in plant growth, development, pathogen resistance, and cell death. In this study, cell biological approaches were used to identify potential PD-associated RLK proteins among proteins contained within cell walls isolated from rice callus cultured cells. A total of 15 rice RLKs were investigated to determine their subcellular localization, using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression system. Of these six PD-associated RLKs were identified based on their co-localization with a viral movement protein that served as a PD marker, plasmolysis experiments, and subcellular localization at points of wall contact between spongy mesophyll cells. These findings suggest potential PD functions in apoplasmic signaling in response to environmental stimuli and developmental inputs.

Imaging cell wall architecture in single Zinnia elegans tracheary elements

The chemical and structural organization of the plant cell wall was examined in Zinnia elegans tracheary elements (TEs), which specialize by developing prominent secondary wall thickenings underlying the primary wall during xylogenesis in vitro. Three imaging platforms were used in conjunction with chemical extraction of wall components to investigate the composition and structure of single Zinnia TEs. Using fluorescence microscopy with a green fluorescent protein-tagged Clostridium thermocellum family 3 carbohydrate-binding module specific for crystalline cellulose, we found that cellulose accessibility and binding in TEs increased significantly following an acidified chlorite treatment. Examination of chemical composition by synchrotron radiation-based Fourier-transform infrared spectromicroscopy indicated a loss of lignin and a modest loss of other polysaccharides in treated TEs. Atomic force microscopy was used to extensively characterize the topography of cell wall surfaces in TEs, revealing an outer granular matrix covering the underlying meshwork of cellulose fibrils. The internal organization of TEs was determined using secondary wall fragments generated by sonication. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the resulting rings, spirals, and reticulate structures were composed of fibrils arranged in parallel. Based on these combined results, we generated an architectural model of Zinnia TEs composed of three layers: an outermost granular layer, a middle primary wall composed of a meshwork of cellulose fibrils, and inner secondary wall thickenings containing parallel cellulose fibrils. In addition to insights in plant biology, studies using Zinnia TEs could prove especially productive in assessing cell wall responses to enzymatic and microbial degradation, thus aiding current efforts in lignocellulosic biofuel production.

Guard cell-specific calcium sensitivity of high density and activity SV/TPC1 channels

The slow vacuolar (SV) channel, a Ca2+-regulated vacuolar cation conductance channel, in Arabidopsis thaliana is encoded by the single-copy gene AtTPC1. Although loss-of-function tpc1 mutants were reported to exhibit a stoma phenotype, knowledge about the underlying guard cell-specific features of SV/TPC1 channels is still lacking. Here we demonstrate that TPC1 transcripts and SV current density in guard cells were much more pronounced than in mesophyll cells. Furthermore, the SV channel in motor cells exhibited a higher cytosolic Ca2+ sensitivity than in mesophyll cells. These distinct features of the guard cell SV channel therefore probably account for the published stomatal phenotype of tpc1-2.

Imaging of multi-color fluorescence emission from leaf tissues

Multi-color fluorescence emission from leaf tissues is presented as a powerful reporter on plant biochemistry and physiology that can be applied both at macro- and micro-scales. The blue-green fluorescence emission is typically excited by ultraviolet (UV) excitation. However, this approach cannot be applied in investigating intact leaf interior because the UV photons are largely absorbed in the epidermis of the leaf surface. This methodological barrier is eliminated by replacing the UV photon excitation by excitation with two infra-red photons of the same total energy. We demonstrate this approach by using two-photon excitation for microscopy of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves infected by pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. The leaf structures are visualized by red chlorophyll fluorescence emission reconstructed in 3-D images while the bacteria are detected by the green emission of engineered fluorescence protein.

Nitric oxide modulates ozone-induced cell death, hormone biosynthesis and gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved together with reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the activation of various stress responses in plants. We have used ozone (O₃) as a tool to elicit ROS-activated stress responses, and to activate cell death in plant leaves. Here, we have investigated the roles and interactions of ROS and NO in the induction and regulation of O₃-induced cell death. Treatment with O₃ induced a rapid accumulation of NO, which started from guard cells, spread to adjacent epidermal cells and eventually moved to mesophyll cells. During the later time points, NO production coincided with the formation of hypersensitive response (HR)-like lesions. The NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and O₃ individually induced a large set of defence-related genes; however, in a combined treatment SNP attenuated the O₃ induction of salicylic acid (SA) biosynthesis and other defence-related genes. Consistent with this, SNP treatment also decreased O₃-induced SA accumulation. The O₃-sensitive mutant rcd1 was found to be an NO overproducer; in contrast, Atnoa1/rif1 (Arabidopsis nitric oxide associated 1/resistant to inhibition by FSM1), a mutant with decreased production of NO, was also O₃ sensitive. This, together with experiments combining O₃ and the NO donor SNP suggested that NO can modify signalling, hormone biosynthesis and gene expression in plants during O₃ exposure, and that a functional NO production is needed for a proper O₃ response. In summary, NO is an important signalling molecule in the response to O₃.

Subcellular location of horseradish peroxidase in horseradish leaves treated with La(III), Ce(III) and Tb(III)

The agricultural application of rare-earth elements (REEs) would promote REEs inevitably to enter in the environment and then to threaten the environmental safety and human health. Therefore, the distribution of the REEs ion, (141)Ce(III) and effects of La(III), Ce(III) and Tb(III) on the distribution of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in horseradish mesophyll cells were investigated with electron microscopic radioautography and transmission electron microscopic cytochemistry. It was found for the first time that REEs ions can enter into the mesophyll cells, deposit in both extra and intra-cellular. Compared to the normal condition, after the horseradish leaves treated with La(III) or Tb(III), HRP located on the tonoplast is decreased and HRP is mainly located on the cell wall, while HRP is mainly located on the plasma membrane after the horseradish leaves were treated with Ce(III). This also indicated that REEs ions may regulate the plant growth through changing the distribution of enzymes.