S-BIAD229alpha

Arabidopsis guard cell chloroplasts import cytosolic ATP for starch turnover and stomatal opening

Released 2021-12-31
Shey-Li Lim, Sabrina Flütsch, Jinhong Liu, Luca Distefano, Diana Santelia, Boon Leong Lim

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Stomatal opening requires the provision of energy in the form of ATP for proton pumping across the guard cell (GC) plasma membrane and for associated metabolic rearrangements. The source of ATP for GCs is a matter of ongoing debate that is mainly fuelled by controversies around the ability of GC chloroplasts (GCCs) to perform photosynthesis. By imaging compartment-specific fluorescent ATP and NADPH sensor proteins in Arabidopsis, we show that GC photosynthesis is limited and mitochondria are the main source of ATP. Unlike mesophyll cell (MC) chloroplasts, which are impermeable to cytosolic ATP, GCCs import cytosolic ATP through NUCLEOTIDE TRANSPORTER (NTT) proteins. GCs from ntt mutants exhibit impaired abilities for starch biosynthesis and stomatal opening. Our work shows that GCs obtain ATP and carbohydrates via different routes from MCs, likely to compensate for the lower chlorophyll contents and limited photosynthesis of GCCs.

Study information

Organism
Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress)
Imaging type
confocal fluorescence microscopy
License
CC0

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