Abstract
Abiotic stresses such as drought and saline water impose major limitations on plant growth. Modulation of stomatal behavior may help plants cope with such stresses by reducing both water loss and salt uptake. Hexokinase (HXK) is a sugar-phosphorylating enzyme involved in guard cells’ sugar-sensing, mediating stomatal closure and coordinating photosynthesis with transpiration. We generated transgenic tobacco lines expressing the Arabidopsis hexokinase1 (AtHXK1) under the guard cell-specific promoter KST1 and examined those plants using growth room and greenhouse experiments. The expression of AtHXK1 in tobacco guard cells reduced stomatal conductance and transpiration by about 25% with no negative effects on photosynthesis or growth, leading to increased water-use efficiency. In addition, these plants exhibited tolerance to drought and salt stress due to their lower transpiration rate, indicating that improved stomatal function has the potential to improve plant performance under stress conditions.
Highlights
Water is frequently a limiting resource for agriculture, and abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity are commonly faced by plants during their life cycles, with significant deleterious effects on growth and productivity [1]
Similar reductions in stomatal conductance and conductance, decreased transpiration, and increased water-use efficiency (WUE) by more than 25%, with no negative effects transpiration rates have been observed in Arabidopsis, tomato and citrus plants [10,24]
Similar reductions in stomatal conductance and the diurnal patterns of transpiration among the various species are very similar
Summary
Water is frequently a limiting resource for agriculture, and abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity are commonly faced by plants during their life cycles, with significant deleterious effects on growth and productivity [1]. Is lost to the atmosphere via the stomata [2] and many efforts have been made to improve stomatal behavior to reduce water loss [3,4,5,6,7]. Reducing water loss may save water and help plants cope with drought, and reduce salt uptake and confer tolerance to salinity. Stomata are adjustable pores comprised of two guard cells on the surface of plant leaves that allow gas exchange between the leaf and the atmosphere. Light stimulates stomatal opening, which is followed by the movement of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2 ) needed for photosynthesis into the leaf. Stomata open in response to increases in the osmolarity of the guard cells. Stomata open in response to increases in the osmolarity of the guard cells. [8]
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