Stomata in the epidermal tissues of leaves are valves through which passes CO(2), and as such they influence the global carbon cycle. The two-dimensional pattern and density of stomata in the leaf epidermis are genetically and environmentally regulated to optimize gas exchange. Two putative intercellular signalling factors, EPF1 and EPF2, function as negative regulators of stomatal development in Arabidopsis, possibly by interacting with the receptor-like protein TMM. One or more positive intercellular signalling factors are assumed to be involved in stomatal development, but their identities are unknown. Here we show that a novel secretory peptide, which we designate as stomagen, is a positive intercellular signalling factor that is conserved among vascular plants. Stomagen is a 45-amino-rich peptide that is generated from a 102-amino-acid precursor protein designated as STOMAGEN. Both an in planta analysis and a semi-in-vitro analysis with recombinant and chemically synthesized stomagen peptides showed that stomagen has stomata-inducing activity in a dose-dependent manner. A genetic analysis showed that TMM is epistatic to STOMAGEN (At4g12970), suggesting that stomatal development is finely regulated by competitive binding of positive and negative regulators to the same receptor. Notably, STOMAGEN is expressed in inner tissues (the mesophyll) of immature leaves but not in the epidermal tissues where stomata develop. This study provides evidence of a mesophyll-derived positive regulator of stomatal density. Our findings provide a conceptual advancement in understanding stomatal development: inner photosynthetic tissues optimize their function by regulating stomatal density in the epidermis for efficient uptake of CO(2).

Stem cell polarization is a crucial step in asymmetric cell division, which is a universal system for generating cellular diversity in multicellular organisms. Several conventional genetics studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying cell polarization in plants, but it remains largely unknown. In plants, stomata, which are valves for gas exchange, are generated through several rounds of asymmetric divisions. In this study, we identified and characterized a chemical compound that affects stomatal stem cell polarity. Highthroughput screening for bioactive molecules identified a pyridinethiazole derivative, named bubblin, which induced stomatal clustering in Arabidopsis epidermis. Bubblin perturbed stomatal asymmetric division, resulting in the generation of two identical daughter cells. Both cells continued to express the stomatal fate determinant SPEECHLESS, and then differentiated into mispatterned stomata. Bubblin-treated cells had a defect in the polarized localization of BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE (BASL), which is required for asymmetric cell fate determination. Our results suggest that bubblin induces stomatal lineage cells to divide without BASL-dependent pre-mitotic establishment of polarity. Bubblin is a potentially valuable tool for investigating cell polarity establishment in stomatal asymmetric division.

Thio-dimethylarsinic acid (thio-DMA) was detected in human urine after exposure to inorganic arsenic and arsenosugars consumed by marine algae. Our previous studies have shown that thio-DMA disturbed the cell cycle progression and arrested cells in mitosis, though the biological significance or the mechanism by which thio-DMA-induced mitotic phase accumulation occurs is yet to be understood. In this study, we showed that thio-DMA promotes the phosphorylation of BubR1 protein, which is one of the constituents of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) complex and accumulates in the cell in mitotic phase. Binding of Mad2 to CDC20, also known as the marker of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) formation during the activation of SAC, was enhanced and mitotic associated cell death by apoptosis was promoted in HeLa cells but not in HepG2 cells. Basal BubR1 protein level in HepG2 was 10-times lower than that of HeLa cells. Consequently, BubR1 knockdown HeLa cells were generated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique. The MCC formation and mitotic arrest induced by thio-DMA were completely inhibited in BubR1 knockdown cells. Moreover, BubR1 knockdown cells could survive in the medium containing higher concentrations of thio-DMA with some abnormalities such as larger cell size, huge nucleus, multiple nuclei, and abnormal DNA contents. Especially, cyclin B1 negative tetraploid cells, which signify interphase cells with tetraploid, increased and survived after 48-72 h treatment with thio-DMA. Thus, these results suggest that BubR1mediated SAC activation and MCC formation are one of the defense systems for preventing the accumulation and survival of abnormal cells induced by thio-DMA.