Ca^2＋ is involved in muscarine-acetylcholine-receptor-mediated acetylcholine signal transduction in guard cells of Vicia faba L.

Acetyicholine (ACh) is an important neuro-chemical transmitter in animals; it also exists in plants and plays a significant role in various kinds of physiological functions in plants. ACh has been known to induce the stomatal opening. By monitoring the changes of cytusolic Ca^2 with fluorescent probe Fiuo-3 AM under the confocal microscopy, we found that exogenous ACh increased cytosolic Ca^2 concentration of guard cells of Vicia faba L. Muscarlne, an agonist of muscarine acetyicholine receptor (mAChR), could do so as well. In contrast, atropine, the antagonist of mAChR abolished the ability of ACh to increase Ca^2 in guard cells. This mechanism is similar to mAChR in animals. When EGTA was used to chelate Ca^2 or ruthenium red to block Ca^2 released from vacuole respectively, the results showed that the increased cytosolic Ca^2 mainly come from intracellular Ca^2 store. The evidence supports that Ca^2 is involved in guard-cell response to ACh and that Ca^2 sigual is coupled to mAChRs in ACh signal transduction in guard cells.     

钙依赖型蛋白激酶在ABA调控的杨树气孔运动中的作用

群众杨叶片下表皮经过植物激素脱落酸(ABA)和钙依赖型蛋白激酶抑制剂三氟拉嗪(TFP)处理后,在扫描电镜下观察了气孔开度的变化,并用透射电镜结合X-射线能谱显微分析技术,对保卫细胞内的K~ 、Ca~(2 )含量进行了研究。结果表明:ABA几乎完全抑制光照条件下叶片气孔的开放,而同时加入TFP则显著降低ABA对气孔开放的抑制作用。在ABA作用下,保卫细胞细胞质中的K~ 含量下降但Ca~(2 )含量增加;而同时加入TFP则可逆转ABA对K~ 、Ca~(2 )的作用。研究结果证明,钙依赖型蛋白激酶可能通过对保卫细胞内K~ 、Ca~(2 )的调节作用而介导了ABA调控气孔运动的信号转导过程。     

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor is involved in acetylcholine regulating stomatal movement

In animal cells, action of acetylcholine depends on its binding with its two specific receptors on the plasma membrane: the nicotinic and muscarinic respectively. The present investigation has shown that agonists of muscarinic receptor (muscarine) could induce stomatal opening, while the antagonists (atropine) could block stomatal opening induced by acetylcholine. Their effects can only be realized in medium containing Ca²⁺, but not in medium containing K⁺. The results tend to reveal that the muscarinic receptor is involved in acetylcholine-induced stomatal movement.     

Effect of Calcium on Spontaneous Quantal Transmitter Secretion from ACh-Loaded Myocytes

Introduction Transmitter secretion requires specialized secretory or- ganelles, the synaptic vesicles, for the packaging, stor- age, and exocytotic release of the transmitters[1,2]. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is released at the neuromuscular…     

茉莉酸甲酯诱导气孔关闭的信号转导机制初探

用不同浓度的茉莉酸甲酯处理拟南芥叶片的下表皮，发现10^-5mol/L的茉莉酸酯是诱导气孔关闭的最适浓度，而且还进一步证明了在茉莉酸甲酯诱导气孔关闭过程中，H2O2和Ca2 有可能是诱导气孔关闭转导链之中的中间环节。     

活性氧与NO在SO2诱导蚕豆气孔运动中的作用

以蚕豆叶表皮为材料,研究SO2胁迫时叶面气孔运动及其调节途径.研究发现,用浓度1～200μmol/L的SO2衍生物(亚硫酸钠与亚硫酸氢钠混合液)处理蚕豆叶下表皮后,气孔开度明显减小,气孔保卫细胞内活性氧(ROS)、一氧化氮(NO)和钙离子(Ca2+)水平显著升高.采用抗氧化剂抗坏血酸和过氧化氢酶,钙离子干扰剂EGTA和LaCl3,以及NO合成抑制剂NaN3与NO清除剂c-PTIO,分别与SO2衍生物同时作用时,SO2诱发的气孔关闭效应得到有效缓解,保卫细胞内ROS、NO和Ca2+水平随之改变.抗氧化剂和NO干扰剂能阻止SO2诱导的胞内ROS、NO和Ca2+水平升高;EGTA和LaCl3能降低SO2诱导的胞内NO和Ca2+升高,但不影响ROS水平.研究结果表明,较高浓度SO2能诱导气孔关闭,SO2胁迫诱导ROS和NO合成增加,ROS和NO通过钙信号系统调节气孔开度.     

A calcium sensor in the sodium channel modulates cardiac excitability.

Sodium channels are principal molecular determinants responsible for myocardial conduction and maintenance of the cardiac rhythm. Calcium ions (Ca2+) have a fundamental role in the coupling of cardiac myocyte excitation and contraction, yet mechanisms whereby intracellular Ca2+ may directly modulate Na channel function have yet to be identified. Here we show that calmodulin (CaM), a ubiquitous Ca2+-sensing protein, binds to the carboxy-terminal 'IQ' domain of the human cardiac Na channel (hH1) in a Ca2+-dependent manner. This binding interaction significantly enhances slow inactivation-a channel-gating process linked to life-threatening idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias. Mutations targeted to the IQ domain disrupted CaM binding and eliminated Ca2+/CaM-dependent slow inactivation, whereas the gating effects of Ca2+/CaM were restored by intracellular application of a peptide modelled after the IQ domain. A naturally occurring mutation (A1924T) in the IQ domain altered hH1 function in a manner characteristic of the Brugada arrhythmia syndrome, but at the same time inhibited slow inactivation induced by Ca2+/CaM, yielding a clinically benign (arrhythmia free) phenotype.     

Regulation of Ca2+ channel expression at the cell surface by the small G-protein kir/Gem

Voltage-dependent calcium (Ca2+) channels are involved in many specialized cellular functions, and are controlled by intracellular signals such as heterotrimeric G-proteins, protein kinases and calmodulin (CaM). However, the direct role of small G-proteins in the regulation of Ca2+ channels is unclear. We report here that the GTP-bound form of kir/Gem, identified originally as a Ras-related small G-protein that binds CaM, inhibits high-voltage-activated Ca2+ channel activities by interacting directly with the beta-subunit. The reduced channel activities are due to a decrease in alpha1-subunit expression at the plasma membrane. The binding of Ca2+/CaM to kir/Gem is required for this inhibitory effect by promoting the cytoplasmic localization of kir/Gem. Inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channels by kir/Gem prevents Ca2+-triggered exocytosis in hormone-secreting cells. We propose that the small G-protein kir/Gem, interacting with beta-subunits, regulates Ca2+ channel expression at the cell surface.     

Role of acetylcholine on plant root-shoot signal transduction

The role of accetylcholine (ACh) on plant root-shoot communication was investigated using the root-split system of Vicia faba L.In the experiments,slight osmotic stress caused the decrease of ACh content in root tips and the xylem sap transported up per time unit from root tip to the shool when the water potential of the shoot was kept unchanged .It also caused the decrease of ACh content in the abaxial epidermis,The decrease was highly correlative to the changes of transpiration rate,suggesting that the decrase of ACh content probably functions as a signal to regulate stomatal behavior,The effect of osmotic stress might be mainly through the inhibition of the ACh synthesis in root tip ;thus further influences the ACh content in root tip ,xylem sap and abaxial epidermis and resulting in the changes of stomata behavior,These results provide new evdence that plants transduce positive and negative signals among roots and shoot to coordinate stomatal behavior and adapt to variable environments.     

Structure of the gating domain of a Ca2+-activated K+ channel complexed with Ca2+/calmodulin

Small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (SK channels) are independent of voltage and gated solely by intracellular Ca2+. These membrane channels are heteromeric complexes that comprise pore-forming alpha-subunits and the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin (CaM). CaM binds to the SK channel through the CaM-binding domain (CaMBD), which is located in an intracellular region of the alpha-subunit immediately carboxy-terminal to the pore. Channel opening is triggered when Ca2+ binds the EF hands in the N-lobe of CaM. Here we report the 1.60 A crystal structure of the SK channel CaMBD/Ca2+/CaM complex. The CaMBD forms an elongated dimer with a CaM molecule bound at each end; each CaM wraps around three alpha-helices, two from one CaMBD subunit and one from the other. As only the CaM N-lobe has bound Ca2+, the structure provides a view of both calcium-dependent and -independent CaM/protein interactions. Together with biochemical data, the structure suggests a possible gating mechanism for the SK channel.     

Interaction with the NMDA receptor locks CaMKII in an active conformation.

Calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and glutamate receptors are integrally involved in forms of synaptic plasticity that may underlie learning and memory. In the simplest model for long-term potentiation, CaMKII is activated by Ca2+ influx through NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors and then potentiates synaptic efficacy by inducing synaptic insertion and increased single-channel conductance of AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) receptors. Here we show that regulated CaMKII interaction with two sites on the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B provides a mechanism for the glutamate-induced translocation of the kinase to the synapse in hippocampal neurons. This interaction can lead to additional forms of potentiation by: facilitated CaMKII response to synaptic Ca2+; suppression of inhibitory autophosphorylation of CaMKII; and, most notably, direct generation of sustained Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-independent (autonomous) kinase activity by a mechanism that is independent of the phosphorylation state. Furthermore, the interaction leads to trapping of CaM that may reduce down-regulation of NMDA receptor activity. CaMKII-NR2B interaction may be prototypical for direct activation of a kinase by its targeting protein.     

Binding Sites of La~(3 ) on Camodulin

ＢｉｎｄｉｎｇＳｉｔｅｓｏｆＬａ３＋ｏｎＣａｍｏｄｕｌｉｎ＊ＦｅｎｇＹｕｐｉｎｇ（冯玉萍），ＹｕａｎＨａｏｄａｎ（袁浩丹）＋，ＺｈｏｕＹｕｘｉａｎｇ（周玉祥）＋，ＮｉｎｇＹｏｎｇｃｈｅｎｇ（宁永成），ＺｈａｎｇＲｉｑｉｎｇ（张日清）＋Ｄｅｐａｒｔｍｅ...     

Nitric oxide involved in signal transduction of Jasmonic acid-induced stomatal closure of Vicia faba L.

Nitric oxide (NO) and Jasmonic acid (JA) are two key signaling molecules involved in many and diverse biological pathways in plants. Growing evidence suggested that NO signaling interacts with JA signaling. In this work, Our experiment showed that NO exists in guard cell of Vicia faba L., and NO is involved in signal transduction of JAinduced stomata closuring: ( i ) JA enhances NO synthesis in guard cell; ( ii ) both JA and NO induced stomatal closure, and had dose response to their effects; ( iU ) there are synergetic correlation between JA and lower NO concentration in regulation of stomatal movement; (iV) JA-induced stomatal closure was largely prevented by 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-l-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO), a specific NO scavenger. An inhibitor of NO synthase (NOS) in mammalian cells, N^G-nitro-L-Arg-methyl eater (L-NAME) also inhibits plant NOS, repressing JA-induced NO generation and JA-induced stomatal closure. We presumed that NO mainly comes from NOS after JA treatment.     

Localization of NOS-like protein in guard cells of Vicia faba L. and its possible function

Using the immuno-fluorescence and immuno-gold electron microscope technology, localization of ni- tric oxide synthase (NOS)-like proteins was determined in guard cells of Vicia faba L. NOS is mainly localized in nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplast, mitochondria and the cell wall of guard cells. Scorch and exogenous JA can enhance the level of nitric oxide (NO) and increase NOS activity in both leaf and epidermis, and the changing pattern of NOS activity was consistent with the change of NO. NOS in- hibitor, L-NAME, inhibited JA-induced NO generation. From the results, we presumed that NO genera- tion from NOS pathway is the main pathway in the stress and JA responses. The pharmacological ex- periment showed that increasing the Ca2 at a suitable concentration promoted leaf NOS activity and the NO level, indicating that NOS activity together with the distribution of NO is Ca2 -dependent. NOS and NO are possibly involved in the regulation of stomatal movement thus playing an important role in plant stress responses.     

A modular switch for spatial Ca2+ selectivity in the calmodulin regulation of CaV channels

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent regulation of voltage-gated CaV1-2 Ca2+ channels shows extraordinary modes of spatial Ca2+ decoding and channel modulation, vital for many biological functions. A single calmodulin (CaM) molecule associates constitutively with the channel's carboxy-terminal tail, and Ca2+ binding to the C-terminal and N-terminal lobes of CaM can each induce distinct channel regulations. As expected from close channel proximity, the C-lobe responds to the roughly 100-microM Ca2+ pulses driven by the associated channel, a behaviour defined as 'local Ca2+ selectivity'. Conversely, all previous observations have indicated that the N-lobe somehow senses the far weaker signals from distant Ca2+ sources. This 'global Ca2+ selectivity' satisfies a general signalling requirement, enabling a resident molecule to remotely sense cellular Ca2+ activity, which would otherwise be overshadowed by Ca2+ entry through the host channel. Here we show that the spatial Ca2+ selectivity of N-lobe CaM regulation is not invariably global but can be switched by a novel Ca2+/CaM-binding site within the amino terminus of channels (NSCaTE, for N-terminal spatial Ca2+ transforming element). Native CaV2.2 channels lack this element and show N-lobe regulation with a global selectivity. On the introduction of NSCaTE into these channels, spatial Ca2+ selectivity transforms from a global to local profile. Given this effect, we examined CaV1.2/CaV1.3 channels, which naturally contain NSCaTE, and found that their N-lobe selectivity is indeed local. Disruption of this element produces a global selectivity, confirming the native function of NSCaTE. Thus, differences in spatial selectivity between advanced CaV1 and CaV2 channel isoforms are explained by the presence or absence of NSCaTE. Beyond functional effects, the position of NSCaTE on the channel's amino terminus indicates that CaM can bridge the amino terminus and carboxy terminus of channels. Finally, the modularity of NSCaTE offers practical means for understanding the basis of global Ca2+ selectivity.     

MAP kinase specifically mediates the ABA-induced H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> generation in guard cells of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vicia faba</Emphasis> L.

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is involved in regulating adverse physiological processes, including stomatal closure, seed development and germination, and mediating many environmental stress responses, such as drought, salinity and extreme temperatures[1,2]. In re-sponse to various stress stimuli, ABA synthesis is in-creased in plant cells, which triggers a series of physio-logical responses to adapt the stress conditions[1—3]. For example, under water deficit, ABA acts directly on…     

A defined range of guard cell calcium oscillation parameters encodes stomatal movements.

Oscillations in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]cyt) are central regulators of signal transduction cascades, although the roles of individual [Ca2+]cyt oscillation parameters in regulating downstream physiological responses remain largely unknown. In plants, guard cells integrate environmental and endogenous signals to regulate the aperture of stomatal pores and [Ca2+]cyt oscillations are a fundamental component of stomatal closure. Here we systematically vary [Ca2+]cyt oscillation parameters in Arabidopsis guard cells using a 'calcium clamp' and show that [Ca2+]cyt controls stomatal closure by two mechanisms. Short-term 'calcium-reactive' closure occurred rapidly when [Ca2+]cyt was elevated, whereas the degree of long-term steady-state closure was 'calcium programmed' by [Ca2+]cyt oscillations within a defined range of frequency, transient number, duration and amplitude. Furthermore, in guard cells of the gca2 mutant, [Ca2+]cyt oscillations induced by abscisic acid and extracellular calcium had increased frequencies and reduced transient duration, and steady-state stomatal closure was abolished. Experimentally imposing [Ca2+]cyt oscillations with parameters that elicited closure in the wild type restored long-term closure in gca2 stomata. These data show that a defined window of guard cell [Ca2+]cyt oscillation parameters programs changes in steady-state stomatal aperture.     

The Mg-chelatase H subunit is an abscisic acid receptor

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a vital phytohormone that regulates mainly stomatal aperture and seed development, but ABA receptors involved in these processes have yet to be determined. We previously identified from broad bean an ABA-binding protein (ABAR) potentially involved in stomatal signalling, the gene for which encodes the H subunit of Mg-chelatase (CHLH), which is a key component in both chlorophyll biosynthesis and plastid-to-nucleus signalling. Here we show that Arabidopsis ABAR/CHLH specifically binds ABA, and mediates ABA signalling as a positive regulator in seed germination, post-germination growth and stomatal movement, showing that ABAR/CHLH is an ABA receptor. We show also that ABAR/CHLH is a ubiquitous protein expressed in both green and non-green tissues, indicating that it might be able to perceive the ABA signal at the whole-plant level.     

渗透胁迫对小麦幼苗生理功能的影响

渗透胁迫下，小麦幼苗根系和叶片ABA，CaM水平提高，保护酶（SOD与POD）活性上升。结果初步表明：第2信号系统Ca^2 /CaM参与了干旱化学信号ABA的传递，引起小麦幼苗根系和叶片SOD，POD活性的升高。