Abstract
Plants closing stomata in the presence of harmful gases is believed to be a stress avoidance mechanism. SO 2 , one of the major airborne pollutants, has long been reported to induce stomatal closure, yet the mechanism remains unknown. Little is known about the stomatal response to airborne pollutants besides O 3 . SLOW ANION CHANNEL-ASSOCIATED 1 (SLAC1) and OPEN STOMATA 1 (OST1) were identified as genes mediating O 3 -induced closure. SLAC1 and OST1 are also known to mediate stomatal closure in response to CO 2 , together with RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE HOMOLOGs (RBOHs). The overlaying roles of these genes in response to O 3 and CO 2 suggested that plants share their molecular regulators for airborne stimuli. Here, we investigated and compared stomatal closure event induced by a wide concentration range of SO 2 in Arabidopsis through molecular genetic approaches. O 3 - and CO 2 -insensitive stomata mutants did not show significant differences from the wild type in stomatal sensitivity, guard cell viability, and chlorophyll content revealing that SO 2 -induced closure is not regulated by the same molecular mechanisms as for O 3 and CO 2 . Nonapoptotic cell death is shown as the reason for SO 2 -induced closure, which proposed the closure as a physicochemical process resulted from SO 2 distress, instead of a biological protection mechanism.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 437-447 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Plant Cell and Environment |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Feb 1 2019 |
Keywords
- airborne pollutants
- nonapoptotic cell death
- stomatal closure
- sulfur dioxide
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physiology
- Plant Science