Singlet oxygen makes plant epidermis thicker with less stomata

Abstract Singlet oxygen (1O2) has a very short half-life of 10−5 s; however, it is a strong oxidant that causes growth arrest and necrotic lesions on plants1–4. Its signaling pathway remains largely unknown. The Arabidopsis flu (FLUORESCENT) mutant accumulates a high level of 1O2 and shows drastic changes in nuclear gene expression5. Only two plastid proteins, EX1 (EXECUTER 1) and EX2 (EXECUTER 2), have been identified in the singlet oxygen signaling6,7. Here we found that the transcription factor ABI4 (ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4) binds the promoters of genes responsive to 1O2-signals. Inactivation of the ABI4 protein in the flu/abi4 double mutant was sufficient to suppress the upregulation of almost all 1O2-responsive-genes and rescued the lethal phenotype of flu grown under light / dark cycles, similar to the flu/ex1/ex2 triple mutant. In addition to cell death, we reported for the first time that 1O2 also induces cell wall thickening and stomatal development defect. However, no apparent growth arrest was observed for the flu mutant under normal light / dim light cycles, but the cell wall thickening (doubled) and stomatal reduction (by two-thirds) still occurred. These results offer a new idea for breeding stress tolerant and lodging resistant varieties in agricultural industry.