Attention:The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 5:00 PM ET until 8:00 PM ET on Friday, September 11 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: The maize aquaporin ZmPIP1;6 enhances stomatal opening and CO2- and ABA-induced stomatal closure
Abstract The plasma membrane aquaporin ZmPIP1;6 is expressed in maize stomatal complexes, with higher expression during the day than at night. To elucidate the role of ZmPIP1;6 in gas exchange and stomatal movement, it was expressed in maize (inbred line B104) under the control of the p35S promoter (overexpression) or its native promoter fused with mYFP (monomeric yellow fluorescent protein) cDNA (mYFP-ZmPIP1;6). In stomatal complexes of the mature zone of the leaf, mYFP–ZmPIP1;6 showed higher expression in subsidiary cells than in guard cells, and light and dark treatments influenced its subcellular localization. Notably, ZmPIP1;6 internalization increased in dark conditions compared with light. Stomatal opening was greater in ZmPIP1;6 overexpression plants than in the wild type, while closure exhibited greater sensitivity to elevated CO2 concentration or abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Our findings revealed that reactive oxygen species (H2O2) were involved in ABA-induced stomatal closure, while ZmPIP1;6 was unable to facilitate H2O2 diffusion when expressed in yeast. Finally, ZmPIP1;6 overexpression and mYFP-ZmPIP1;6 transgenic plants exhibited higher abaxial stomatal density than the wild type. Overall, these results indicate that ZmPIP1;6 plays important roles in stomatal opening and CO2- and ABA-induced stomatal closure.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2420360
PAR ID:
10683174
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Editor(s):
Lawson, Tracy
Publisher / Repository:
Society for Experimental Biology
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Experimental Botany
Volume:
76
Issue:
10
ISSN:
0022-0957
Page Range / eLocation ID:
2832 to 2845
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ABSTRACT Pectins are abundant in the cell walls of eudicot plants and have been implicated in determining the development and biomechanics of stomatal guard cells, which expand and contract dynamically to open and close stomatal pores on the plant surface, modulating photosynthesis and water transport. Pectic homogalacturonan is delivered to the cell wall in a methylesterified form but can be demethylesterified in the wall by pectin methylesterases, increasing both its ability to form crosslinks via calcium and its susceptibility to degradation by endogenous pectinases. Although a few pectin methylesterases have been implicated in stomatal development and function, this large family of proteins has not been fully characterized with respect to how they modulate stomatal guard cells. Here, we characterized the function of PECTIN METHYLESTERASE51 (PME51), a pectin methylesterase–encoding gene that is expressed in developing guard cells, in stomatal morphogenesis in seedlings and adult plants ofArabidopsis thaliana. OverexpressingPME51led to smaller adult plants with smaller stomatal complexes and subtle changes in initial responses to opening and closure stimuli, whereas knocking outPME51resulted in smaller stomatal complexes and longer roots in seedlings. We observed changes in pectin labeling in knockout and overexpression plants that imply a specific function for PME51 in modulating the degree of methylesterification for homogalacturonan. Together, these findings expand our understanding of how pectin modification by pectin methylesterases affects the development and function of stomatal guard cells, which must maintain a balance of strength and flexibility to optimize plant growth. 
    more » « less
  2. In plants, epidermal guard cells integrate and respond to numerous environmental signals to control stomatal pore apertures, thereby regulating gas exchange. Chromatin structure controls transcription factor (TF) access to the genome, but whether large-scale chromatin remodeling occurs in guard cells during stomatal movements, and in response to the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) in general, remains unknown. Here, we isolate guard cell nuclei fromArabidopsis thalianaplants to examine whether the physiological signals, ABA and CO2(carbon dioxide), regulate guard cell chromatin during stomatal movements. Our cell type–specific analyses uncover patterns of chromatin accessibility specific to guard cells and define cis-regulatory sequences supporting guard cell–specific gene expression. We find that ABA triggers extensive and dynamic chromatin remodeling in guard cells, roots, and mesophyll cells with clear patterns of cell type specificity. DNA motif analyses uncover binding sites for distinct TFs enriched in ABA-induced and ABA-repressed chromatin. We identify the Abscisic Acid Response Element (ABRE) Binding Factor (ABF) bZIP-type TFs that are required for ABA-triggered chromatin opening in guard cells and roots and implicate the inhibition of a clade of bHLH-type TFs in controlling ABA-repressed chromatin. Moreover, we demonstrate that ABA and CO2induce distinct programs of chromatin remodeling, whereby elevated atmospheric CO2had only minimal impact on chromatin dynamics. We provide insight into the control of guard cell chromatin dynamics and propose that ABA-induced chromatin remodeling primes the genome for abiotic stress resistance. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract Drought stress poses a substantial challenge to plant growth and agricultural productivity worldwide. Upon water depletion, plants activate an abscisic acid (ABA) signaling pathway, leading to stomatal closure to reduce water loss. The MYB family of transcription factors plays diverse roles in growth, development, stress responses, and biosynthesis, yet their involvement in stomatal regulation remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ABA significantly upregulates the expression of MYB41, MYB74, and MYB102, with MYB41 serving as a key regulator that induces the expression of both MYB74 and MYB102. Through luciferase assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), we reveal that MYB41 engages in positive feedback regulation by binding to its own promoter, thus amplifying its transcription in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Furthermore, our investigation showed that MYB41 recruits BRAHMA (BRM), the core ATPase subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, to the MYB41 promoter, facilitating the binding of HISTONE DEACETYLASE 6 (HDA6). This recruitment triggers epigenetic modifications, resulting in reduced MYB41 expression characterized by elevated H3K27me3 levels and concurrent decreases in H3ac, H3K27ac, and H3K14ac levels in wild-type plants compared to brm knockout mutant plants. Our genetic and molecular analyses show that ABA mediates autoregulation of the MYB41-BRM module, which intricately modulates stomatal movement in A. thaliana. This discovery sheds light on a drought response mechanism with the potential to greatly enhance agricultural productivity. 
    more » « less
  4. Stomatal closure limits transpiration during drought, restricting water potential decline and delaying the onset of embolism. While critical for ensuring survival during drought, the mechanisms driving stomatal closure during drought remain equivocal. The hormone abscisic acid (ABA) will close stomata in seed plants and is synthesized as leaf turgor declines. ABA driven stomatal closure during drought is particularly apparent in species that are more isohydric. In contrast, in species that have a more anisohydric response to drought, like Fagus sylvatica, the importance of ABA in driving stomatal closure during drought is often overlooked or excluded, in place of a hypothesized passive, water potential driven stomatal closure. Here we investigated whether ABA drives stomata closure during a mid-summer drought in field grown F. sylvatica. We found that as leaf water potential declines during a drought, foliage abscisic acid (ABA) levels increase considerably and stomata close. ABA levels in leaves increase as water potentials decline to within 0.3 MPa of turgor loss point, when stomata close. Foliage ABA levels correlate with stomatal conductance throughout a drought and post-drought period. From these results we argue that it is hard to exclude increased ABA levels driving stomatal closure during drought in the anisohydric species F. sylvatica. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Drought resistance is essential for plant production under water‐limiting environments. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a critical role in stomata but its impact on hydraulic function beyond the stomata is far less studied. We selected genotypes differing in their ability to accumulate ABA to investigate its role in drought‐induced dysfunction. All genotypes exhibited similar leaf and stem embolism resistance regardless of differences in ABA levels. Their leaf hydraulic resistance was also similar. Differences were only observed between the two extreme genotypes:sitiens(sit; a strong ABA‐deficient mutant) andsp12(a transgenic line that constitutively overaccumulates ABA), where the water potential inducing 50% embolism was 0.25 MPa lower insp12than insit. Maximum stomatal and minimum leaf conductances were considerably lower in plants with higher ABA (wild type [WT] andsp12) than in ABA‐deficient mutants. Variations in gas exchange across genotypes were associated with ABA levels and differences in stomatal density and size. The lower water loss in plants with higher ABA meant that lethal water potentials associated with embolism occurred later during drought insp12plants, followed by WT, and then by the ABA‐deficient mutants. Therefore, the primary pathway by which ABA enhances drought resistance is via declines in water loss, which delays dehydration and hydraulic dysfunction. 
    more » « less