ABSTRACTand stomatal aperture in illuminated stomata from epidermal peels. Dithiothreitol (DTT), an inhibitor of zeaxanthin formation, eliminated CO 2 -induced zeaxanthin changes in guard cells from illuminated epidermal peels and reduced the stomatal CO 2 response to the level observed in the dark. These data suggest that CO 2 -dependent changes in the zeaxanthin content of guard cells could modulate CO 2 -dependent changes of stomatal apertures in the light while a zeaxanthin-independent CO 2 sensing mechanism would modulate the CO 2 response in the dark.

Chloroplasts of guard cells and coleoptiles have been implicated in the sensory transduction of blue light. The present study was aimed at establishing whether the chloroplast of the hypocotyl from Arabidopsis, another blue light-responding organ, has similar characteristics to that of sensory-transducing guard cell and coleoptile chloroplasts. Results showed that the phototropic curvature and arch length induced by blue light in Arabidopsis seedlings matched the distribution of mature chloroplasts in the bending hypocotyl. The bending arch consistently included the region of the hypocotyl containing mature chloroplasts, and never extended beyond that region. Manipulation of the extent of greening of dark-grown hypocotyls by varying red light pretreatments elicited blue light-stimulated curvatures and arch lengths that depended on the duration of the red light pretreatment and on the distribution of mature chloroplasts in the hypocotyl. Albino psd2 mutants of Arabidopsis, which lack mature chloroplasts, are devoid of phototropic sensitivity under conditions in which wild-type seedlings show large curvatures. The star mutant of Arabidopsis has a delayed greening and a delayed phototropic response as compared with wild type. Measurements of photosynthetic oxygen evolution and carbon fixation, dark respiration, and light-dependent zeaxanthin formation in the hypocotyl showed features similar to those of guard cells and coleoptiles, and distinctly different from those of mesophyll tissue. These results indicate that the hypocotyl chloroplast has characteristics similar to those associated with guard cell and coleoptile chloroplasts, and that phototropic bending of Arabidopsis hypocotyls appears to require mature chloroplasts.

Chloroplasts of guard cells and coleoptiles have been implicated in the sensory transduction of blue light. The present study was aimed at establishing whether the chloroplast of the hypocotyl from Arabidopsis, another blue light-responding organ, has similar characteristics to that of sensory-transducing guard cell and coleoptile chloroplasts. Results showed that the phototropic curvature and arch length induced by blue light in Arabidopsis seedlings matched the distribution of mature chloroplasts in the bending hypocotyl. The bending arch consistently included the region of the hypocotyl containing mature chloroplasts, and never extended beyond that region. Manipulation of the extent of greening of dark-grown hypocotyls by varying red light pretreatments elicited blue light-stimulated curvatures and arch lengths that depended on the duration of the red light pretreatment and on the distribution of mature chloroplasts in the hypocotyl. Albino psd2 mutants of Arabidopsis, which lack mature chloroplasts, are devoid of phototropic sensitivity under conditions in which wild-type seedlings show large curvatures. The star mutant of Arabidopsis has a delayed greening and a delayed phototropic response as compared with wild type. Measurements of photosynthetic oxygen evolution and carbon fixation, dark respiration, and light-dependent zeaxanthin formation in the hypocotyl showed features similar to those of guard cells and coleoptiles, and distinctly different from those of mesophyll tissue. These results indicate that the hypocotyl chloroplast has characteristics similar to those associated with guard cell and coleoptile chloroplasts, and that phototropic bending of Arabidopsis hypocotyls appears to require mature chloroplasts.

No abstract

ABSTRACT. Alpha (a)-particle radiation has been thoroughly studied in the occupational and residential environments, but biological mechanisms induced by a-particle radiation on plants are not clearly understood. In this study, radiation effects were examined using different total doses (1, 10, 100 Gy, respectively) of 241 Am, a-particle on Arabidopsis embryos. No significant difference in the germination percentage was observed between the 3 levels of doses and the control. Germination speed and root length were increased by treatment with the 1-Gy dose of a-particles, and decreased by treatment with 10-and 100-Gy doses. Moreover, the bending degree of roots increased with radiation dose, and the roots showed an "S" shape when treated with the 100-Gy dose. Root bending under the 100-Gy dose was inhibited by scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Root gravitropism and root length may respond to the consistency of ROS induced by irradiation. Further analysis of the physiological effects revealed that an increase in a-particle radiation intensity enhanced the activity of catalase and the content of malondialdehyde, but superoxide dismutase activity was reduced by treatment with 100-Gy radiation of a-particles, suggesting that the high linear energy transfer of a-particles may cause a relatively high level of membrane lipid preoxidation and high accumulation of ROS. ROS showed both physiological and morphological responses following exposure to a-particle radiation in Arabidopsis embryos.