skip to main content


Title: Abscisic acid-independent stomatal CO 2 signal transduction pathway and convergence of CO 2 and ABA signaling downstream of OST1 kinase

Stomatal pore apertures are narrowing globally due to the continuing rise in atmospheric [CO2]. CO2elevation and the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) both induce rapid stomatal closure. However, the underlying signal transduction mechanisms for CO2/ABA interaction remain unclear. Two models have been considered: (i) CO2elevation enhances ABA concentrations and/or early ABA signaling in guard cells to induce stomatal closure and (ii) CO2signaling merges with ABA at OST1/SnRK2.6 protein kinase activation. Here we use genetics, ABA-reporter imaging, stomatal conductance, patch clamp, and biochemical analyses to investigate these models. The strong ABA biosynthesis mutantsnced3/nced5andaba2-1remain responsive to CO2elevation. Rapid CO2-triggered stomatal closure in PYR/RCAR ABA receptor quadruple and hextuple mutants is not disrupted but delayed. Time-resolved ABA concentration monitoring in guard cells using a FRET-based ABA-reporter, ABAleon2.15, and ABA reporter gene assays suggest that CO2elevation does not trigger [ABA] increases in guard cells, in contrast to control ABA exposures. Moreover, CO2activates guard cell S-type anion channels innced3/nced5and ABA receptor hextuple mutants. Unexpectedly, in-gel protein kinase assays show that unlike ABA, elevated CO2does not activate OST1/SnRK2 kinases in guard cells. The present study points to a model in which rapid CO2signal transduction leading to stomatal closure occurs via an ABA-independent pathway downstream of OST1/SnRK2.6. Basal ABA signaling and OST1/SnRK2 activity are required to facilitate the stomatal response to elevated CO2. These findings provide insights into the interaction between CO2/ABA signal transduction in light of the continuing rise in atmospheric [CO2].

 
more » « less
NSF-PAR ID:
10076769
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume:
115
Issue:
42
ISSN:
0027-8424
Page Range / eLocation ID:
p. E9971-E9980
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Summary

    Respiration in leaves and the continued elevation in the atmosphericCO2concentration causeCO2‐mediated reduction in stomatal pore apertures. Several mutants have been isolated for which stomatal responses to both abscisic acid (ABA) andCO2are simultaneously defective. However, there are only few mutations that impair the stomatal response to elevatedCO2, but not toABA. Such mutants are invaluable in unraveling the molecular mechanisms of earlyCO2signal transduction in guard cells. Recently, mutations in the mitogen‐activated protein (MAP) kinase,MPK12, have been shown to partially impairCO2‐induced stomatal closure. Here, we show thatmpk12plants, in whichMPK4is stably silenced specifically in guard cells (mpk12 mpk4GChomozygous double‐mutants), completely lackCO2‐induced stomatal responses and have impaired activation of guard cell S‐type anion channels in response to elevatedCO2/bicarbonate. However,ABA‐induced stomatal closure, S‐type anion channel activation andABA‐induced marker gene expression remain intact in thempk12 mpk4GCdouble‐mutants. These findings suggest thatMPK12 andMPK4 act very early inCO2signaling, upstream of, or parallel to the convergence ofCO2andABAsignal transduction. The activities ofMPK4 andMPK12 protein kinases were not directly modulated byCO2/bicarbonatein vitro, suggesting that they are not directCO2/bicarbonate sensors. Further data indicate thatMPK4 andMPK12 have distinguishable roles in Arabidopsis and that the previously suggested role ofRHC1 in stomatalCO2signaling is minor, whereasMPK4 andMPK12 act as key components of early stomatalCO2signal transduction.

     
    more » « less
  2. Stomatal pores close rapidly in response to low-air-humidity-induced leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPD) increases, thereby reducing excessive water loss. The hydroactive signal-transduction mechanisms mediating high VPD–induced stomatal closure remain largely unknown. The kinetics of stomatal high-VPD responses were investigated by using time-resolved gas-exchange analyses of higher-order mutants in guard-cell signal-transduction branches. We show that the slow-type anion channel SLAC1 plays a relatively more substantial role than the rapid-type anion channel ALMT12/QUAC1 in stomatal VPD signaling. VPD-induced stomatal closure is not affected in mpk12 / mpk4GC double mutants that completely disrupt stomatal CO 2 signaling, indicating that VPD signaling is independent of the early CO 2 signal-transduction pathway. Calcium imaging shows that osmotic stress causes cytoplasmic Ca 2+ transients in guard cells. Nevertheless, osca1-2 / 1.3 / 2.2 / 2.3 / 3.1 Ca 2+ -permeable channel quintuple, osca1.3 / 1.7 -channel double, cngc5 / 6 -channel double, cngc20 -channel single, cngc19 / 20crispr -channel double, glr3.2 / 3.3 -channel double, cpk- kinase quintuple, cbl1 / 4 / 5 / 8 / 9 quintuple, and cbl2 / 3rf double mutants showed wild-type-like stomatal VPD responses. A B3-family Raf-like mitogen-activated protein (MAP)-kinase kinase kinase, M3Kδ5/RAF6, activates the OST1/SnRK2.6 kinase in plant cells. Interestingly, B3 Raf-kinase m3kδ5 and m3kδ1 / δ5 / δ6 / δ7 ( raf3 / 6 / 5 / 4 ) quadruple mutants, but not a 14-gene raf-kinase mutant including osmotic stress-linked B4-family Raf-kinases, exhibited slowed high-VPD responses, suggesting that B3-family Raf-kinases play an important role in stomatal VPD signaling. Moreover, high VPD–induced stomatal closure was impaired in receptor-like pseudokinase GUARD CELL HYDROGEN PEROXIDE-RESISTANT1 (GHR1) mutant alleles. Notably, the classical transient “wrong-way” VPD response was absent in ghr1 mutant alleles. These findings reveal genes and signaling mechanisms in the elusive high VPD–induced stomatal closing response pathway. 
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    Sucrose-non-fermenting-1-related protein kinase-2s (SnRK2s) are critical for plant abiotic stress responses, including abscisic acid (ABA) signaling. Here, we develop a genetically encoded reporter for SnRK2 kinase activity. This sensor, named SNACS, shows an increase in the ratio of yellow to cyan fluorescence emission by OST1/SnRK2.6-mediated phosphorylation of a defined serine residue in SNACS. ABA rapidly increases FRET efficiency in N. benthamiana leaf cells and Arabidopsis guard cells. Interestingly, protein kinase inhibition decreases FRET efficiency in guard cells, providing direct experimental evidence that basal SnRK2 activity prevails in guard cells. Moreover, in contrast to ABA, the stomatal closing stimuli, elevated CO2 and MeJA, did not increase SNACS FRET ratios. These findings and gas exchange analyses of quintuple/sextuple ABA receptor mutants show that stomatal CO2 signaling requires basal ABA and SnRK2 signaling, but not SnRK2 activation. A recent model that CO2 signaling is mediated by PYL4/PYL5 ABA-receptors could not be supported here in two independent labs. We report a potent approach for real-time live-cell investigations of stress signaling. 
    more » « less
  4. Summary

    Little is known about long‐distance mesophyll‐driven signals that regulate stomatal conductance. Soluble and/or vapor‐phase molecules have been proposed. In this study, the involvement of the gaseous signal ethylene in the modulation of stomatal conductance inArabidopsis thalianaby CO2/abscisic acid (ABA) was examined.

    We present a diffusion model which indicates that gaseous signaling molecule/s with a shorter/direct diffusion pathway to guard cells are more probable for rapid mesophyll‐dependent stomatal conductance changes. We, therefore, analyzed different Arabidopsis ethylene‐signaling and biosynthesis mutants for their ethylene production and kinetics of stomatal responses to ABA/[CO2]‐shifts.

    According to our research, higher [CO2] causes Arabidopsis rosettes to produce more ethylene. An ACC‐synthase octuple mutant with reduced ethylene biosynthesis exhibits dysfunctional CO2‐induced stomatal movements. Ethylene‐insensitive receptor (gain‐of‐function),etr1‐1andetr2‐1, and signaling,ein2‐5andein2‐1, mutants showed intact stomatal responses to [CO2]‐shifts, whereas loss‐of‐function ethylene receptor mutants, includingetr2‐3;ein4‐4;ers2‐3,etr1‐6;etr2‐3andetr1‐6, showed markedly accelerated stomatal responses to [CO2]‐shifts. Further investigation revealed a significantly impaired stomatal closure to ABA in the ACC‐synthase octuple mutant and accelerated stomatal responses in theetr1‐6;etr2‐3, andetr1‐6, but not in theetr2‐3;ein4‐4;ers2‐3mutants.

    These findings suggest essential functions of ethylene biosynthesis and signaling components in tuning/accelerating stomatal conductance responses to CO2and ABA.

     
    more » « less
  5. Increases in CO2concentration in plant leaves due to respiration in the dark and the continuing atmospheric [CO2] rise cause closing of stomatal pores, thus affecting plant–water relations globally. However, the underlying CO2/bicarbonate (CO2/HCO3) sensing mechanisms remain unknown. [CO2] elevation in leaves triggers stomatal closure by anion efflux mediated via the SLAC1 anion channel localized in the plasma membrane of guard cells. Previous reconstitution analysis has suggested that intracellular bicarbonate ions might directly up-regulate SLAC1 channel activity. However, whether such a CO2/HCO3regulation of SLAC1 is relevant for CO2control of stomatal movements in planta remains unknown. Here, we computationally probe for candidate bicarbonate-interacting sites within the SLAC1 anion channel via long-timescale Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) simulations. Mutations of two putative bicarbonate-interacting residues, R256 and R321, impaired the enhancement of the SLAC1 anion channel activity by CO2/HCO3inXenopusoocytes. Mutations of the neighboring charged amino acid K255 and residue R432 and the predicted gate residue F450 did not affect HCO3regulation of SLAC1. Notably, gas-exchange experiments withslac1-transformed plants expressing mutated SLAC1 proteins revealed that the SLAC1 residue R256 is required for CO2regulation of stomatal movements in planta, but not for abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closing. Patch clamp analyses of guard cells show that activation of S-type anion channels by CO2/HCO3, but not by ABA, was impaired, indicating the relevance of R256 for CO2signal transduction. Together, these analyses suggest that the SLAC1 anion channel is one of the physiologically relevant CO2/HCO3sensors in guard cells.

     
    more » « less