Phot1 and phot2 mediate blue light-induced transient increases in cytosolic Ca2+ differently in Arabidopsis leaves.

Abstract

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are blue light (BL) receptors that mediate phototropism, chloroplast movements, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Physiological studies have suggested that Ca2+ in the cytoplasm plays a pivotal role in these BL-induced responses. A phot1-mediated increase in cytosolic Ca2+ was reported in deetiolated seedlings of A. thaliana; however, the contribution of phot2 remains unknown. We examined a BL-induced transient increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ in leaves of transgenic A. thaliana of WT plants, phot1 and phot2 mutants, and phot1 phot2 double mutants expressing the Ca2+-sensitive luminescent protein aequorin. phot1 and phot2 had different photosensitivities: phot1 increased cytosolic Ca2+ at lower fluence rates (0.1-50 micromol x m-2 x s-1) and phot2 increased it at higher fluence rates (1-250 micromol x m-2 x s-1). By using Ca2+ channel blockers, Ca2+ chelating agents, and inhibitors of phospholipase C, we further demonstrated that both phot1 and phot2 could induce Ca2+ influx from the apoplast through the Ca2+ channel in the plasma membrane, whereas phot2 alone induced phospholipase C-mediated phosphoinositide signaling, which might result in Ca2+ release from internal Ca2+ stores. These results suggest that phot1 and phot2 mediate the BL-induced increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ differently.