No uptake of anions required by opening stomata of Vicia faba: Guard cells release hydrogen ions

Surrounded by luxury: The necessities of subsidiary cells

The evolution of stomata marks one of the key advances that enabled plants to colonise dry land while allowing gas exchange for photosynthesis. In large measure, stomata retain a common design across species that incorporates paired guard cells with little variation in structure. By contrast, the cells of the stomatal complex immediately surrounding the guard cells vary widely in shape, size and count. Their origins in development are similarly diverse. Thus, the surrounding cells are likely a luxury that the necessity of stomatal control cannot do without (with apologies to Oscar Wilde). Surrounding cells are thought to support stomatal movements as solute reservoirs and to shape stomatal kinetics through backpressure on the guard cells. Their variety may also reflect a substantial diversity in function. Certainly modelling, kinetic analysis and the few electrophysiological studies to date give hints of much more complex contributions in stomatal physiology. Even so, our knowledge of the cells surrounding the guard cells in the stomatal complex is far from complete.

Evolution of Guard-Cell Theories: The Story of Sugars

Stomata are dynamic pores in the impermeable cuticle that coats the aerial parts of vascular plants, allowing the entry of CO₂ for photosynthesis and controlling water loss. They are composed of two guard cells that can swell or shrink due to an increase or decrease in their osmotic pressure, respectively. Swelling opens the stomata and shrinking closes the stomata. For more than a century, scientists have been working to uncover the nature of the osmolytes that modulate osmotic pressure in guard cells. Recent discoveries have undermined long-standing theories in this area, reversing the understood roles of sugars and demonstrating the evolution of scientific theories. Here, we describe the evolution of guard-cell osmoregulation theories with an emphasis on the role of sugars.

Multi-level modeling of light-induced stomatal opening offers new insights into its regulation by drought

Plant guard cells gate CO2 uptake and transpirational water loss through stomatal pores. As a result of decades of experimental investigation, there is an abundance of information on the involvement of specific proteins and secondary messengers in the regulation of stomatal movements and on the pairwise relationships between guard cell components. We constructed a multi-level dynamic model of guard cell signal transduction during light-induced stomatal opening and of the effect of the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) on this process. The model integrates into a coherent network the direct and indirect biological evidence regarding the regulation of seventy components implicated in stomatal opening. Analysis of this signal transduction network identified robust cross-talk between blue light and ABA, in which [Ca2+]c plays a key role, and indicated an absence of cross-talk between red light and ABA. The dynamic model captured more than 10(31) distinct states for the system and yielded outcomes that were in qualitative agreement with a wide variety of previous experimental results. We obtained novel model predictions by simulating single component knockout phenotypes. We found that under white light or blue light, over 60%, and under red light, over 90% of all simulated knockouts had similar opening responses as wild type, showing that the system is robust against single node loss. The model revealed an open question concerning the effect of ABA on red light-induced stomatal opening. We experimentally showed that ABA is able to inhibit red light-induced stomatal opening, and our model offers possible hypotheses for the underlying mechanism, which point to potential future experiments. Our modelling methodology combines simplicity and flexibility with dynamic richness, making it well suited for a wide class of biological regulatory systems.

Speedy small stomata?

Recent work has made progress in relating the size of stomata to stomatal functioning and, in particular, the speed of opening and closing and its implications. Calculations of the influence of stomatal size on the potential rate of osmolarity increase, assuming size-independent ion influx rate per unit area of guard cell plasmalemma set at the value found in large (60 μm long) stomata, show that 10 μm long stomata could have at least a 6-fold higher rate of osmolarity increase. There could be a corresponding decrease in the time taken in going from the closed to the fully open state from about 1h to about 10 min; this is approximately the range found for stomata.. However, there are no data on the rate of stomatal movement over a sufficient size range to test this suggestion. Faster opening requires, assuming optimal allocation, a higher activity of the required enzymes per unit volume of guard cells. This is explored for cytosolic carbonic anhydrase which is needed in guard cells, at least in the light, for malic acid synthesis which is involved in stomatal opening in most stomata. Faster opening and closing of smaller than of larger stomata could allow closer tracking of environmental (mainly light) variations, although the available data are not adequate to determine if such a greater tracking occurs. The range of speeds of stomatal movement is similar to that for photoinhibition-related phenomena, despite the very different mechanisms involved.

Multiple Roles of the Plasma Membrane H(+)-ATPase and Its Regulation

The plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase is the pump that provides the driving force for transport of numerous solutes in plant cells, and plays an essential role for the growth and maintenance of cell homeostasis. Recent investigations using guard cells with respect to blue-light-induced stomatal opening uncovered the regulatory mechanisms of the H(+)-ATPase, and revealed that the phosphorylation status of penultimate threonine in the C-terminus of H(+)-ATPase is key step for the activity regulation. The same regulatory mechanisms for the H(+)-ATPase were evidenced in hypocotyl elongation in response to ABA and auxin, suggesting that the phosphorylation of the penultimate threonine is a common regulatory mechanism for the H(+)-ATPase. We also present the data that the activity of the H(+)-ATPase limits the plant growth. Typical structure of the H(+)-ATPase in the C-terminus was acquired in the transition of plants from water to the terrestrial land.

Effects of stomatal delays on the economics of leaf gas exchange under intermittent light regimes

• Understory plants are subjected to highly intermittent light availability and their leaf gas exchanges are mediated by delayed responses of stomata and leaf biochemistry to light fluctuations. In this article, the patterns in stomatal delays across biomes and plant functional types were studied and their effects on leaf carbon gains and water losses were quantified. • A database of more than 60 published datasets on stomatal responses to light fluctuations was assembled. To interpret these experimental observations, a leaf gas exchange model was developed and coupled to a novel formulation of stomatal movement energetics. The model was used to test whether stomatal delays optimize light capture for photosynthesis, whilst limiting transpiration and carbon costs for stomatal movement. • The data analysis showed that stomatal opening and closing delays occurred over a limited range of values and were strongly correlated. Plant functional type and climate were the most important drivers of stomatal delays, with faster responses in graminoids and species from dry climates. • Although perfectly tracking stomata would maximize photosynthesis and minimize transpiration at the expense of large opening costs, the observed combinations of opening and closure times appeared to be consistent with a near-optimal balance of carbon gain, water loss and movement costs.

Light and stomatal function: blue light stimulates swelling of guard cell protoplasts

Onion guard cell protoplasts swell when illuminated with blue light. The response is a 35 to 60 percent increase in volume and is dependent on potassium ion. Epidermal cell protoplasts do not swell under the same conditions. It is postulated that a membrane-bound blue photoreceptor mediates a direct response of guard cells to light.

What determines the complex kinetics of stomatal conductance under blueless PAR in Festuca arundinacea? Subsequent effects on leaf transpiration

Light quality and, in particular, its content of blue light is involved in plant functioning and morphogenesis. Blue light variation frequently occurs within a stand as shaded zones are characterized by a simultaneous decrease of PAR and blue light levels which both affect plant functioning, for example, gas exchange. However, little is known about the effects of low blue light itself on gas exchange. The aims of the present study were (i) to characterize stomatal behaviour in Festuca arundinacea leaves through leaf gas exchange measurements in response to a sudden reduction in blue light, and (ii) to test the putative role of Ci on blue light gas exchange responses. An infrared gas analyser (IRGA) was used with light transmission filters to study stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (Tr), assimilation (A), and intercellular concentration of CO(2) (Ci) responses to blueless PAR (1.80 mumol m(-2) s(-1)). The results were compared with those obtained under a neutral filter supplying a similar photosynthetic efficiency to the blueless PAR filter. It was shown that the reduction of blue light triggered a drastic and instantaneous decrease of gs by 43.2% and of Tr by 40.0%, but a gradual stomatal reopening began 20 min after the start of the low blue light treatment, thus leading to new steady-states. This new stomatal equilibrium was supposed to be related to Ci. The results were confirmed in more developed plants although they exhibited delayed and less marked responses. It is concluded that stomatal responses to blue light could play a key role in photomorphogenetic mechanisms through their effect on transpiration.

Opinion: stomatal responses to light and CO(2) depend on the mesophyll

The mechanisms by which stomata respond to red light and CO(2) are unknown, but much of the current literature assumes that these mechanisms reside wholly within the guard cells. However, responses of guard cells in isolated epidermes are typically much smaller than those in leaves, and there are several lines of evidence in the literature suggesting that the mesophyll is necessary for these responses in leaves. This paper advances the opinion that although guard cells may have small direct responses to red light and CO(2), most of the stomatal response to these factors in leaves is caused by an unknown signal that originates in the mesophyll.

Light regulation of stomatal movement

Stomatal pores, each surrounded by a pair of guard cells, regulate CO2 uptake and water loss from leaves. Stomatal opening is driven by the accumulation of K+ salts and sugars in guard cells, which is mediated by electrogenic proton pumps in the plasma membrane and/or metabolic activity. Opening responses are achieved by coordination of light signaling, light-energy conversion, membrane ion transport, and metabolic activity in guard cells. In this review, we focus on recent progress in blue- and red-light-dependent stomatal opening. Because the blue-light response of stomata appears to be strongly affected by red light, we discuss underlying mechanisms in the interaction between blue-light signaling and guard cell chloroplasts.

Guard cell ABA and CO2 signaling network updates and Ca2+ sensor priming hypothesis

Stomatal pores in the epidermis of plants enable gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere, a process vital to plant life. Pairs of specialized guard cells surround and control stomatal apertures. Stomatal closing is induced by abscisic acid (ABA) and elevated CO(2) concentrations. Recent advances have been made in understanding ABA signaling and in characterizing CO(2) transduction mechanisms and CO(2) signaling mutants. In addition, models of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent signaling in guard cells have been developed and a new hypothesis has been formed in which physiological stimuli are proposed to prime Ca(2+) sensors, thus enabling specificity in Ca(2+)-dependent signal transduction.

Dynamics of ionic activities in the apoplast of the sub-stomatal cavity of intact Vicia faba leaves during stomatal closure evoked by ABA and darkness

Stomatal movement is accomplished by changes in the ionic content within guard cells as well as in the cell wall of the surrounding stomatal pore. In this study, the sub-stomatal apoplastic activities of K+, Cl-, Ca2+ and H+ were continuously monitored by inserting ion-selective micro-electrodes through the open stomata of intact Vicia faba leaves. In light-adapted leaves, the mean activities were 2.59 mM (K+), 1.26 mM (Cl-), 64 microM (Ca2+) and 89 microM (H+). Stomatal closure was investigated through exposure to abscisic acid (ABA), sudden darkness or both. Feeding the leaves with ABA through the cut petiole initially resulted in peaks after 9-10 min, in which Ca2+ and H+ activities transiently decreased, and Cl- and K+ activities transiently increased. Thereafter, Ca2+, H+ and Cl- activities completely recovered, while K+ activity approached an elevated level of around 10 mM within 20 min. Similar responses were observed following sudden darkness, with the difference that Cl- and Ca2+ activities recovered more slowly. Addition of ABA to dark-adapted leaves evoked responses of Cl- and Ca2+ similar to those observed in the light. K+ activity, starting from its elevated level, responded to ABA with a transient increase peaking around 16 mM, but then returned to its dark level. During stomatal closure, membrane potential changes in mesophyll cells showed no correlation with the K+ kinetics in the sub-stomatal cavity. We thus conclude that the increase in K+ activity mainly resulted from K+ release by the guard cells, indicating apoplastic compartmentation. Based on the close correlation between Cl- and Ca2+ changes, we suggest that anion channels are activated by a rise in cytosolic free Ca2+, a process which activates depolarization-activated K+ release channels.

pH, abscisic acid and the integration of metabolism in plants under stressed and non-stressed conditions: cellular responses to stress and their implication for plant water relations

A paradigm for the response of plants to stress is presented which suggests that plants move towards a state of minimal metabolic activity as a stress intensifies and remain in that state until that stress is relieved. The paradigm is based on the proposition that cells that interface with the transpiration stream employ variations on the following theme to move towards that state. Tension on the apoplastic water opens a mechanosensitive Ca2+ channel, a response that is augmented by apoplastic ABA. The resulting elevated cytoplasmic Ca2+ deactivates a plasmalemma H+/ATPase and also activates a K(+)-H+ symport. The inflow of K+ and H+ depolarizes the membrane and renders the apoplast less acidic, the protons being removed to the vacuole and the K+ ions being re-exported via the K+ outward rectifying channel. The onset of darkness in guard and mesophyll cells deactivates the plasmalemma H+/ATPase and then the events outlined above ensue except that these cells do not appear to utilize either Ca2+ or ABA during these changes. In stressed cells it is proposed that elevated cytoplasmic Ca2+ activates the release of an ABA precursor from a stored form. ABA is then released in the apoplast after export of the precursor if the activity of the K(+)-H+ symport has brought the apoplastic pH close to 7.0. It is proposed that aquaporins in the xylem parenchyma and mesophyll cells are opened by elevated cytoplasmic Ca2+ when the water potential of the transpiration stream is high so that water can be stored in the 'xylem parenchyma reservoir'. The water in this reservoir is then used to increase the water potential in the transpiration stream when the water column is under tension and to help repair embolisms by a mechanism that resembles stomatal closure.

Chloride transport in stomatal guard cells

Stomatal guard cells regulate the size of the stomatal pore by the changes in their shape and volume, which are associated with changes in their turgor. Accumulation of potassium salts plays a major role in this process, and frequently chloride, if available, provides the major balancing anion. Measurements have been made of two-way ion fluxes in guard cells, in epidermal strips Commelina communis L. , after treatment at low pH to kill all cells except the guard cells. In such material, opening depends on the ion concentration in the bathing solution, and for this purpose the three salts KC1, KBr and RbCl seem to be equivalent. 82 Br - and 86 Rb+ fluxes have been measured in a range of steady states, with different apertures, and in the transitions between one steady state and another. Analysis of the kinetics of tracer efflux in the steady states allows calculation of the cytoplasmic and vacuolar contents, and their changes with aperture, with wider opening produced by increasing concentration in the bathing solution, or by light incubation compared with dark incubation. The results show that the increases with aperture of the cytoplasmic salt concentration are comparable with the osmotic changes required, but the changes in vacuolar concentration are much less than those required osmotically. Opening must therefore be associated with vacuolar accumulation not only of salt, but also of some other solute. The decrease in aperture on addition of 2 x 10 -5 M abscisic acid to the solution bathing ‘isolated’ guard cells, or on their transfer from light to dark, is achieved by marked transient increases in ion efflux, with little change in influx. There are also changes in tonoplast fluxes. The aperture is determined by the level of vacuolar solute accumulation, and thus the results show that this responds to environmental signals by control of plasmalemma efflux rather than influx, and by control of tonoplast fluxes. The ability to transfer salt from cytoplasm to vacuole may be critical for the maintenance of turgor and aperture.

Isolation of functional extensor and flexor protoplasts fromPhaseolus coccineus L. pulvini: potassium induced swelling

Methods are described for the isolation of functional protoplasts from secondary pulvinus tissue (flexor and extensor) and from leaf mesophyll tissue of primary leaves ofPhaseolus coccineus L. Integrity of the protoplasts was shown by vital staining and their ability to evolve oxygen in the light. Extensor-cell protoplasts increased their volume for up to 60% upon addition of 10 mM KCl. This K(+)-induced swelling was accompanied by increased rates of proton extrusion.

Close coupling between extrusion of H(+) and uptake of K (+) by barley roots

Extrusion of H(+) by intact barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) roots was automatically titrated. Simultaneously, uptake of K(+) into the roots, transport of K(+) through the roots, and (as a residual term) accumulation of K(+) within the root tissue were determined. When no monovalent cation was present in the medium the steady rate of H(+) release was close to zero. Addition of K(+) stimulated H(+) extrusion within less than 1 min. The stimulation of H(+) release was apparently limited only by the movement of K(+) through the apoplast of the roots. The steady rate of H(+) extrusion depended on the availability of external K(+) and saturated at a K(+) concentration of about 100 μmol· dm(-3). Half-maximum rates of net K(+) uptake and H(+) extrusion were reached at a K(+) concentration of about 10 μmol·dm(-3). With (slowly absorbable) sulfate as the only anion present, the stoichoimetry between H(+) release and net K(+) uptake was one. In conclusion, the uptake of K(+) across the plasmalemma of the cells of the root cortex is electrically coupled to H(+) extrusion.

Effects of glycine on dark-and ligh-induced pulvinar movements and modifications of proton fluxes in the pulvinus of Mimosa pudica during glycine uptake

Glycine (1-50 mM) increases the rate of the dark-induced (scotonastic) movements and decreases the amplitude and the rate of the light-induced (photonastic) movements of the secondary pulvini of Mimosa pudica leaves. The uptake of glycine is accompanied by a long-lasting dose-dependent increase in the alkalinity of the bathing medium of the excised pulvini. The data are in agreement with a H(+)-glycine co-transport mechanism within the pulvinar cells. Fusicoccin (50 μM), known to promote H(+)-K(+) exchange, antagonizes the effects of glycine on the movements and the alkalization of the bathing medium of the excised pulvini. The present results argue for the hypothesis that proton fluxes mediate the scotonastic and photonastic pulvinar movements.

Metabolic energy for stomatal opening. Roles of photophosphorylation and oxidative phosphorylation

The supply of energy for stomatal opening was investigated with epidermal peels of Commelina communis L. and Vicia faba L., under white, blue and red irradiation or in darkness. Fluencerate response curves of stomatal opening under blue and red light were consistent with the operation of two photosystems, one dependent on photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and the other on blue light, in the guard cells. The PAR-dependent system was 3(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU)-sensitive and KCN-resistant and showed a relatively high threshold irradiance for its activation; its activity was most prominent at moderate to high irradiances. The blue-light-dependent photosystem was KCN-sensitive, was active at low irradiances, and interacted with the PAR-dependent photosystem at high blue irradiances. Stomatal opening in darkness, caused by CO2-free air, fusicoccin or high KCl concentrations, was KCN-sensitive and DCMU-resistant. These data indicate that stomatal opening in darkness depends on oxidative phosphorylation for the supply of high-energy equivalents driving proton extrusion. Light-dependent stomatal opening appears to require photophosphorylation from guard-cell chloroplasts and the activation of the blue-light photosystem which could rely either on oxidative phosphorylation or a specific, membrane-bound electron-transport carrier.

Determination of malate levels during the swelling of vacuoles isolated from guard-cell protoplasts

A method for the preparation of vacuoles from guard cells ofVicia faba L. is described. Vacuoles were released from guard-cell protoplasts by osmotic shock and purified on a Ficoll gradient. Contamination of the vacuoles was examined by assaying marker enzymes, such as fumarase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase, acid phosphatase and mannosidase. Potassium ions in the incubation medium caused increases in the volume of the vacuoles by a factor of about 2.6, while the malate level remained unchanged. In contrast, malate synthesis was stimulated during the swelling phase when complete guard-cell protoplasts were exposed to K(+). The possible role of K(+) as an efficient osmotic effector is discussed.

Stomatal responses in isolated epidermis of the crassulacean acid metabolism plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana Hamet et Perr

The optimal conditions for opening of stomata in detached epidermis of the Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana were determined. Stomatal opening in CO2-free air was unaffected by light so subsequently all epidermal strips were incubated in the dark and in CO2-free air. Apertures were maximal after 3 h incubation and were significantly greater at 15° C than 25° C. Thus stomata in isolated epidermis of this species can respond directly to temperature. Stomatal opening was greatest when the incubating buffer contained 17.6 mol m(-3) K(+), but decreased linearly with increasing K(+) concentrations between 17.6 and 300 mol m(-3); the decrease in aperture was shown to be associated with increasing osmotic potentials of the solutions. Reasons for this behaviour, which differs from that of many C3 and C4 species, are discussed. Stomatal apertures declined linearly upon incubation of epidermis on buffer solutions containing between 10(-11) and 10(-5) mol m(-3) abscisic acid (ABA). Hence stomata on isolated epidermis of K. daigremontiana respond to lower concentrations of ABA than those of any species reported previously.

The power of movement in plants: the role of osmotic machines

The apparent and often spectacular movements of animals and insects, movements of the whole organism in relation to its surroundings arising from internally generated forces, have always been, by their very ubiquity, uppermost in our perception of motion in the living world. Movement in plants, generally of one organ in relation to the whole plant, whilst sometimes spectacular, have often in the past been seen as rather esoteric events, amusing perhaps, but of little importance in the general biological scheme of things. However, this is not so; plant movements are quite widespread in occurrence and all are most probably manifestations of a single physiological process, the change in volume of special motor cells. One particular movement, the opening and closing of stomata, which provides a basic control of photosynthesis, is of fundamental importance to the existence of the whole biosphere.

Inhibition of stomatal opening during uptake of carbohydrates by guard cells in isolated epidermal tissues

The uptake of glucose and other carbohydrates into the guard cells of Commelina communis L. was found to inhibit the opening of the stomata. The concentration of glucose necessary to achieve about 50% inhibition was of the same order of magnitude as the potassium concentration required for opening; the uptake systems for potassium and glucose appear to be competitive and to exhibit the same degree of affinity. It is suggested that the uptake of glucose occurs via a proton cotransport, which, depolarizing the membrane potential, slows down the electrogenic import of potassium ions. The process of stomatal closure, in contrast, appears not to be affected by carbohydrate uptake. In guard cells of Tulipa gesneriana L. and Vicia faba L., which do not possess subsidiary cells, import of glucose or other carbohydrates did not interfere with the regulation of stomatal movements.

The effect of Cl(-) upon the sensitivity of starch-containing and starch-deficient stomata and guard cell protoplasts towards potassium ions, fusicoccin and abscisic acid

Chloride ions are necessary to compensate for the positively charged potassium ions imported into guard cells of Allium cepa L. during stomatal opening. Therefore an external Cl(-) supply of intact Allium plants is important. But high levels of chloride have been found to reduce the sensitivity of the starch-lacking stomata and isolated guard cell protoplasts (GCPs) from Allium to potassium ions, fusicoccin and abscisic acid. Furthermore, with high levels of chloride, malate anions disappear from the guard cells of Allium, a finding which contrasts with situation in Vicia where the stomatal sensitivity to K(+) ions, fusicoccin and ABA is not influenced by Cl(-) ions and malate levels are unaffected. It is suggested that the absence of malate as a proton yielding primer inhibits the mechanism of H(+)/K(+) exchange in Allium.

Effects of fusicoccin on the activity of a key pH-stat enzyme, PEP-carboxylase

The phytotoxin fusicoccin (FC) causes rapid synthesis of malate in coleoptile tissues, presumably via phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase coupled with malate dehydrogenase. The possibility that FC directly affects PEP carboxylase in Avena sativa L. and Zea mays L. coleoptiles was studied and rejected. The activity of this enzyme is unaffected by FC whether FC is added in vitro or a pretreatment to the live material. FC does not change the sensitivity of the enzyme to bicarbonate or malate. The activity of FC, instead, appears to be indirect. The pH sensitivity of PEP carboxylase is such that its activity, and thus the rate of malate synthesis, may be enhanced by an increase in cytoplasmic pH accompanying FC-induced H(+) excretion. Since the enzyme is also particularily sensitive to bicarbonate levels, malate synthesis may also be enhanced by FC-induced uptake or generation of CO2.

Rapid auxin- and fusicoccin-enhanced Rb(+) uptake and malate synthesis in Avena coleoptile sections

The short-term effects of auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) and fusicoccin (FC) on Rb(+) uptake and malate accumulation in Avena sativa L. coleoptile sections have been investigated. FC stimulates (86)Rb(+) uptake within 1 min while auxin-enhanced uptake begins after a 15-20-min lag period. Auxin has little or no effect on (86)Rb(+) uptake at external pHs of 6.0 or less, but substantial auxin effects can be observed in the range of pH 6.5 to 7.5. Competition studies indicate that the uptake mechanism is specific for Rb(+) and K(+). After 3 h of auxin treatment the total amount of malate in the coleoptile sections is doubled compared to control sections. FC causes a doubling of malate levels within 60 min of treatment. Auxin-induced malate accumulation exhibits a sensitivity to inhibitors and pH which is similar to that observed for the H(+)-extrusion and Rb(+)-uptake responses. Both auxin- and FC-enhanced malate accumulation are stimulated by monovalent cations but this effect is not specific for K(+).

Electrophysiological properties of onion guard cells

Intracellular electrical recordings in onion (Allium cepa L.) guard cells show that they maintain a membrane potential difference (MPD), inside negative. The MPD of intact cells averaged -72±29 mV (n=45); MPD of cells partially digested with a cellulolytic enzyme, -39±7 mV (n=65). Evidence indicates that the guard cells have two electrically distinct compartments, presumably delimited by the plasmalemma and tonoplast. Epidermal cells in partially digested preparations also showed MPD that could be either positive (+15±7 mV; n=23) or negative (-15 ±8 mV; n=13). Guard cells exposed to light-dark cycles hyperpolarized in the light and depolarized in the dark. The largest observed voltage changes reached 52 mV during hyperpolarizations and 60 mV during depolarizations. The light responses saturated with roughly exponential kinetics, with the depolarizations exhibiting a slower second phase that might be related to the contracting movements of the guard cells. Initial rates of the responses averaged about 14 mV min(-1) in the dark and about 8 mV min(-1) in the light. The results can be interpreted as electrical correlates of fluctuations in intracellular potassium concentration, as light-induced changes in membrane permeability, or as the photoactivation of an electrogenic proton pump. The last possibility seems to be the simplest interpretation of the data that also provides us with a mechanism driving the ion fluxes associated with stomatal function.

Uptake and metabolism of carbohydrates by epidermal tissue

Isolated epidermis of Commelina communis L. and Tulipa gesneriana L. assimilated (14)CO2 into malic acid and its metabolites but not into sugars or their phosphates; epidermis could not reduce CO2 by photosynthesis and therefore must be heterotrophic (Raschke and Dittrich, 1977). If, however, isolated epidermis of Commelina communis was placed on prelabelled mesophyll (obtained by an exposure to (14)CO2 for 10 min), radioactive sugars appeared in the epidermis, most likely by transfer from the mesophyll. Of the radioactivity in the epidermis, 60% was in sucrose, glucose, fructose, 3-phosphoglyceric acid and sugar phosphates. During a 10-min exposure to (14)CO2, epidermis in situ incorporated 16 times more radioactivity than isolated epidermal strips. Isolated epidermis of Commelina communis and Tulipa gesneriana took up (14)C-labelled glucose-1-phosphate (without dephosphorylation), glucose, sucrose and maltose. These substances were transformed into other sugars and, simultaneously, into malic acid. Carbons-1 through-3 of malic acid in guard cells can thus be derived from sugars. Radioactivity appeared also in the hydrolysate of the ethanol-insoluble residue and in compounds of the tricarboxylic-acid cycle, including their transamination products. The hydrolysate contained glucose as the only radioactive compound. Radioactivity in the hydrolysate was therefore considered an indication of starch. Starch formation in the epidermis began within 5 min of exposure to glucose-1-phosphate. Autoradiograms of epidermal sections were blackened above the guard cells. Formation of starch from radioactive sugars therefore occurred predominantly in these cells. Epidermis of tulip consistently incorporated more (14)C into malic and aspartic acids than that of Commelina communis (e.g. after a 4-h exposure to [(14)C]glucose in the dark, epidermis, with open stomata, of tulip contained 31% of its radioactivity in malate and aspartate, that of Commelina communis only 2%). The results of our experiments allow a merger of the old observations on the involvement of starch metabolism in stomatal movement with the more recent recognition of ion transfer and acid metabolism as causes of stomatal opening and closing.

Effect of fusicoccin on plant cell cultures and protoplasts

We have assayed the capacity of the fungal toxin fusicoccin to induce some of its characteristic effects (acidification of the medium, stimulation of K(+), and of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake) in cell suspensions of Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Siebold et Zucc.) Planchon, Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Oryza sativa L., and in protoplast suspensions prepared from leaves of Nicotiana tabacum L. and Spinacia oleracea L. or from cultures of P. tricuspidata. Evidence is presented showing that all tested biological materials respond to the addition of fusicoccin. The observation that the toxin is also active on protoplasts indicates that the cell wall is not involved in the mechanism of action of fusicoccin.

The mechanism of stomatal movement in Allium cepa L

In the guard cells of Allium cepa leaves, no starch was found either when the stomata were open or closed. The lack of other soluble polysaccharides that could be hydrolyzed during the opening reaction of the stomata (Schnabl, Planta 1977, in press) leads to the question, how is the osmotic effect, which is the basis of the stomatal movement, achieved in Allium? It is shown in this paper, by histochemical and microprobe analyses, that in Allium - as in other plant species-the K(+) concentration of the guard cells increases during stomatal opening. The charges of the K(+) ions in the guard cells seem to be fully compensated by imported Cl(-) ions. This could mean that if starch is present in the guard cells, as in the majority of plant species, its major role in the mechanism of stomatal movement is to deliver the cuunteranions for the imported K(+) ions.