Calcium based signalling in guard cells.

Ng, Carl K.-Y. and McAinsh, Martin and Gray, Julie E. and Hunt, Lee and Leckie, Callum P. and Mills, Lewis and Hetherington, Alistair M. (2001) Calcium based signalling in guard cells. New Phytologist, 151 (1). pp. 109-120. ISSN 0028-646X

Abstract

Calcium is a ubiquitous intracellular signal responsible for controlling numerous cellular processes in both plants and animals. As an example, Ca2+ has been shown to be a second messenger in the signal transduction pathways by which stomatal guard cells respond to external stimuli. Regulated increases in the cytosolic concentration of free calcium ions ([Ca2+]cyt) in guard cells have been observed to be a common intermediate in many of the pathways leading to either opening or closing of the stomatal pore. This observation has prompted investigations into how specificity is encoded in the Ca2+ signal. It has been suggested that the key to generating stimulus-specific calcium signatures lies in the ability to access differentially the cellular machinery controlling calcium influx and release from intracellular stores. Several important components of the calcium-based signalling pathways have been identified in guard cells including cADPR, phospholipase C–InsP3, InsP6 and H2O2. These data suggest that the pathways for intracellular mobilization of Ca2+ are evolutionarily conserved between plants and animals.