The calcium-permeable channel OSCA1.3 regulates plant stomatal immunity.

Perception of biotic and abiotic stresses often leads to stomatal closure in plants1,2. Rapid influx of calcium ions (Ca2+) across the plasma membrane has an important role in this response, but the identity of the Ca2+ channels involved has remained elusive3,4. Here we report that the Arabidopsis thaliana Ca2+-permeable channel OSCA1.3 controls stomatal closure during immune signalling. OSCA1.3 is rapidly phosphorylated upon perception of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Biochemical and quantitative phosphoproteomics analyses reveal that the immune receptor-associated cytosolic kinase BIK1 interacts with and phosphorylates the N-terminal cytosolic loop of OSCA1.3 within minutes of treatment with the peptidic PAMP flg22, which is derived from bacterial flagellin. Genetic and electrophysiological data reveal that OSCA1.3 is permeable to Ca2+, and that BIK1-mediated phosphorylation on its N terminus increases this channel activity. Notably, OSCA1.3 and its phosphorylation by BIK1 are critical for stomatal closure during immune signalling, and OSCA1.3 does not regulate stomatal closure upon perception of abscisic acid-a plant hormone associated with abiotic stresses. This study thus identifies a plant Ca2+ channel and its activation mechanisms underlying stomatal closure during immune signalling, and suggests specificity in Ca2+ influx mechanisms in response to different stresses.

Publisher Correction: The calcium-permeable channel OSCA1.3 regulates plant stomatal immunity.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A voltage-dependent Ca2+ homeostat operates in the plant vacuolar membrane.

Cytosolic calcium signals are evoked by a large variety of biotic and abiotic stimuli and play an important role in cellular and long distance signalling in plants. While the function of the plasma membrane in cytosolic Ca2+ signalling has been intensively studied, the role of the vacuolar membrane remains elusive. A newly developed vacuolar voltage clamp technique was used in combination with live-cell imaging, to study the role of the vacuolar membrane in Ca2+ and pH homeostasis of bulging root hair cells of Arabidopsis. Depolarisation of the vacuolar membrane caused a rapid increase in the Ca2+ concentration and alkalised the cytosol, while hyperpolarisation led to the opposite responses. The relationship between the vacuolar membrane potential, the cytosolic pH and Ca2+ concentration suggests that a vacuolar H+ /Ca2+ exchange mechanism plays a central role in cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis. Mathematical modelling further suggests that the voltage-dependent vacuolar Ca2+ homeostat could contribute to calcium signalling when coupled to a recently discovered K+ channel-dependent module for electrical excitability of the vacuolar membrane.

A Poly(A) Ribonuclease Controls the Cellotriose-Based Interaction between Piriformospora indica and Its Host Arabidopsis.

Piriformospora indica, an endophytic root-colonizing fungus, efficiently promotes plant growth and induces resistance to abiotic stress and biotic diseases. P. indica fungal cell wall extract induces cytoplasmic calcium elevation in host plant roots. Here, we show that cellotriose (CT) is an elicitor-active cell wall moiety released by P. indica into the medium. CT induces a mild defense-like response, including the production of reactive oxygen species, changes in membrane potential, and the expression of genes involved in growth regulation and root development. CT-based cytoplasmic calcium elevation in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) roots does not require the BAK1 coreceptor or the putative Ca2+ channels TPC1, GLR3.3, GLR2.4, and GLR2.5 and operates synergistically with the elicitor chitin. We identified an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutant (cytoplasmiccalcium elevation mutant) impaired in the response to CT and various other cellooligomers (n = 2-7), but not to chitooligomers (n = 4-8), in roots. The mutant contains a single nucleotide exchange in the gene encoding a poly(A) ribonuclease (AtPARN; At1g55870) that degrades the poly(A) tails of specific mRNAs. The wild-type PARN cDNA, expressed under the control of a 35S promoter, complements the mutant phenotype. Our identification of cellotriose as a novel chemical mediator casts light on the complex P. indica-plant mutualistic relationship.

Dissection of jasmonate functions in tomato stamen development by transcriptome and metabolome analyses.

BACKGROUND: Jasmonates are well known plant signaling components required for stress responses and development. A prominent feature of jasmonate biosynthesis or signaling mutants is the loss of fertility. In contrast to the male sterile phenotype of Arabidopsis mutants, the tomato mutant jai1-1 exhibits female sterility with additional severe effects on stamen and pollen development. Its senescence phenotype suggests a function of jasmonates in regulation of processes known to be mediated by ethylene. To test the hypothesis that ethylene involved in tomato stamen development is regulated by jasmonates, a temporal profiling of hormone content, transcriptome and metabolome of tomato stamens was performed using wild type and jai1-1. RESULTS: Wild type stamens showed a transient increase of jasmonates that is absent in jai1-1. Comparative transcriptome analyses revealed a diminished expression of genes involved in pollen nutrition at early developmental stages of jai1-1 stamens, but an enhanced expression of ethylene-related genes at late developmental stages. This finding coincides with an early increase of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in jai1-1 and a premature pollen release from stamens, a phenotype similarly visible in an ethylene overproducing mutant. Application of jasmonates to flowers of transgenic plants affected in jasmonate biosynthesis diminished expression of ethylene-related genes, whereas the double mutant jai1-1 NeverRipe (ethylene insensitive) showed a complementation of jai1-1 phenotype in terms of dehiscence and pollen release. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest an essential role of jasmonates in the temporal inhibition of ethylene production to prevent premature desiccation of stamens and to ensure proper timing in flower development.

Soil-borne fungi alter the apoplastic purinergic signaling in plants by deregulating the homeostasis of extracellular ATP and its metabolite adenosine.

Purinergic signaling activated by extracellular nucleotides and their derivative nucleosides trigger sophisticated signaling networks. The outcome of these pathways determine the capacity of the organism to survive under challenging conditions. Both extracellular ATP (eATP) and Adenosine (eAdo) act as primary messengers in mammals, essential for immunosuppressive responses. Despite the clear role of eATP as a plant damage-associated molecular pattern, the function of its nucleoside, eAdo, and of the eAdo/eATP balance in plant stress response remain to be fully elucidated. This is particularly relevant in the context of plant-microbe interaction, where the intruder manipulates the extracellular matrix. Here, we identify Ado as a main molecule secreted by the vascular fungus Fusarium oxysporum. We show that eAdo modulates the plant's susceptibility to fungal colonization by altering the eATP-mediated apoplastic pH homeostasis, an essential physiological player during the infection of this pathogen. Our work indicates that plant pathogens actively imbalance the apoplastic eAdo/eATP levels as a virulence mechanism.

Direct inhibition of phosphate transport by immune signaling in Arabidopsis.

Soil availability of inorganic ortho-phosphate (PO43-, Pi) is a key determinant of plant growth and fitness.1 Plants regulate the capacity of their roots to take up inorganic phosphate by adapting the abundance of H+-coupled phosphate transporters of the PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER 1 (PHT1) family2 at the plasma membrane (PM) through transcriptional and post-translational changes driven by the genetic network of the phosphate starvation response (PSR).3-8 Increasing evidence also shows that plants integrate immune responses to alleviate phosphate starvation stress through the association with beneficial microbes.9-11 Whether and how such phosphate transport is regulated upon activation of immune responses is yet uncharacterized. To address this question, we first developed quantitative assays based on changes in the electrical PM potential to measure active Pi transport in roots in real time. By inserting micro-electrodes into bulging root hairs, we were able to determine key characteristics of phosphate transport in intact Arabidopsis thaliana (hereafter Arabidopsis) seedlings. The fast Pi-induced depolarization observed was dependent on the activity of the major phosphate transporter PHT1;4. Notably, we observed that this PHT1;4-mediated phosphate uptake is repressed upon activation of pattern-triggered immunity. This inhibition depended on the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE 1 (BIK1) and PBS1-LIKE KINASE 1 (PBL1), which both phosphorylated PHT1;4. As a corollary to this negative regulation of phosphate transport by immune signaling, we found that PHT1;4-mediated phosphate uptake normally negatively regulates anti-bacterial immunity in roots. Collectively, our results reveal a mechanism linking plant immunity and phosphate homeostasis, with BIK1/PBL1 providing a molecular integration point between these two important pathways.

Voltage-dependent gating of SV channel TPC1 confers vacuole excitability.

In contrast to the plasma membrane, the vacuole membrane has not yet been associated with electrical excitation of plants. Here, we show that mesophyll vacuoles from Arabidopsis sense and control the membrane potential essentially via the K+-permeable TPC1 and TPK channels. Electrical stimuli elicit transient depolarization of the vacuole membrane that can last for seconds. Electrical excitability is suppressed by increased vacuolar Ca2+ levels. In comparison to wild type, vacuoles from the fou2 mutant, harboring TPC1 channels insensitive to luminal Ca2+, can be excited fully by even weak electrical stimuli. The TPC1-loss-of-function mutant tpc1-2 does not respond to electrical stimulation at all, and the loss of TPK1/TPK3-mediated K+ transport affects the duration of TPC1-dependent membrane depolarization. In combination with mathematical modeling, these results show that the vacuolar K+-conducting TPC1 and TPK1/TPK3 channels act in concert to provide for Ca2+- and voltage-induced electrical excitability to the central organelle of plant cells.

Auxin-Induced Plasma Membrane Depolarization Is Regulated by Auxin Transport and Not by AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN1.

Auxin is a molecule, which controls many aspects of plant development through both transcriptional and non-transcriptional signaling responses. AUXIN BINDING PROTEIN1 (ABP1) is a putative receptor for rapid non-transcriptional auxin-induced changes in plasma membrane depolarization and endocytosis rates. However, the mechanism of ABP1-mediated signaling is poorly understood. Here we show that membrane depolarization and endocytosis inhibition are ABP1-independent responses and that auxin-induced plasma membrane depolarization is instead dependent on the auxin influx carrier AUX1. AUX1 was itself not involved in the regulation of endocytosis. Auxin-dependent depolarization of the plasma membrane was also modulated by the auxin efflux carrier PIN2. These data establish a new connection between auxin transport and non-transcriptional auxin signaling.

AUX1-mediated root hair auxin influx governs SCFTIR1/AFB-type Ca2+ signaling.

Auxin is a key regulator of plant growth and development, but the causal relationship between hormone transport and root responses remains unresolved. Here we describe auxin uptake, together with early steps in signaling, in Arabidopsis root hairs. Using intracellular microelectrodes we show membrane depolarization, in response to IAA in a concentration- and pH-dependent manner. This depolarization is strongly impaired in aux1 mutants, indicating that AUX1 is the major transporter for auxin uptake in root hairs. Local intracellular auxin application triggers Ca2+ signals that propagate as long-distance waves between root cells and modulate their auxin responses. AUX1-mediated IAA transport, as well as IAA- triggered calcium signals, are blocked by treatment with the SCFTIR1/AFB - inhibitor auxinole. Further, they are strongly reduced in the tir1afb2afb3 and the cngc14 mutant. Our study reveals that the AUX1 transporter, the SCFTIR1/AFB receptor and the CNGC14 Ca2+ channel, mediate fast auxin signaling in roots.

Cytosolic Ca(2+) Signals Enhance the Vacuolar Ion Conductivity of Bulging Arabidopsis Root Hair Cells.

Plant cell expansion depends on the uptake of solutes across the plasma membrane and their storage within the vacuole. In contrast to the well-studied plasma membrane, little is known about the regulation of ion transport at the vacuolar membrane. We therefore established an experimental approach to study vacuolar ion transport in intact Arabidopsis root cells, with multi-barreled microelectrodes. The subcellular position of electrodes was detected by imaging current-injected fluorescent dyes. Comparison of measurements with electrodes in the cytosol and vacuole revealed an average vacuolar membrane potential of -31 mV. Voltage clamp recordings of single vacuoles resolved the activity of voltage-independent and slowly deactivating channels. In bulging root hairs that express the Ca(2+) sensor R-GECO1, rapid elevation of the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration was observed, after impalement with microelectrodes, or injection of the Ca(2+) chelator BAPTA. Elevation of the cytosolic Ca(2+) level stimulated the activity of voltage-independent channels in the vacuolar membrane. Likewise, the vacuolar ion conductance was enhanced during a sudden increase of the cytosolic Ca(2+) level in cells injected with fluorescent Ca(2+) indicator FURA-2. These data thus show that cytosolic Ca(2+) signals can rapidly activate vacuolar ion channels, which may prevent rupture of the vacuolar membrane, when facing mechanical forces.