Plants gradually develop their ability to tolerate environmental water deficit as part of the evolutionary process.Abscisic acid(ABA) plays a critical role during drought and osmotic stress.Several histidine protein kinases are regarded as osmotic sensors or regulators in the adaptive response of plants to water deficit.In this study,we report that ATHK1,which was previously shown to function as an osmotic regulator,is involved in ABA-induced stomatal signaling in Arabidopsis.Mutants null for ATHK1 expression were unable to transmit normal ABA responses in guard cells,including inducing stomatal closure,producing hydrogen peroxide and activating calcium influx.Moreover,patch clamp and confocal analysis demonstrated that ATHK1 may function downstream of hydrogen peroxide in ABA-induced stomatal closure,by regulating calcium channel activity and calcium oscillation in Arabidopsis guard cells.
