Abstract

REYES, ANDREA JOHANA; ALVAREZ-HERRERA, JAVIER GIOVANNI  and  FERNANDEZ, JUAN PABLO. Role of calcium in stomatal opening and closing and their interactions with compatible solutes. A review. rev.colomb.cienc.hortic. [online]. 2013, vol.7, n.1, pp.111-122. ISSN 2011-2173.

Calcium channels are primarily involved in signal transduction. Their opening results in increased cytoplasmic calcium concentration and the spatial and temporal variations of this element within the cell, which may eventually lead to different physiological responses to various biotic and abiotic events. Calcium-permeable channels have been reported in the plasma membrane, tonoplast, endoplasmic reticulum, chloroplast and nuclear membranes of plant cells. The closing of the stomata in the presence of abscisic acid (ABA) and the activities of the calcium channel during the stress response, give importance to calcium variations because, in the guard cells, the Ca²⁺ oscillations regulate stomatal opening. Drought is one of the biggest stress problems in agriculture production and quality. Plants primarily synthesize the ABA stress hormone in response to drought, causing a cascade of signaling in guard cells which results in the closure of the stomata and reduces the loss of water which can affect water use efficiency in plants. This stomatal closure involves the relationship between Ca²⁺ and nitric oxide since they are intermediates in the signal transduction of ABA induced by light in the stomatal openings, because, as is known, ABA can cause an elevation of intracellular cytosolic Ca²⁺ in guard cells, leading to stomatal closure and reduction in the photosynthetic process.

Keywords : guard cell; abscisic acid; calcium channels; vacuole; stress.

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