Quantitative imaging to investigate regulators of membrane trafficking in Arabidopsis stomatal closure ($) Traffic

Properly functioning guard cells change size in response to myriad stimuli to control the passage of water and gasses through stomata. The change in volume is mirrored by changes in plasma membrane surface area, with membrane moving dynamically between tonoplast and plasma membrane as needed. Bourdais et al. have developed a high-throughput imaging method to quantify the dynamics of guard cells. They demonstrate its effectiveness by documenting the guard cell dynamics in several mutants previously shown to affect guard cells, including mutants affecting perception and signalling of ABA and pathogens, and those affecting membrane trafficking. Mutants can be clustered by how they respond to various stimuli. Interestingly, members of the same gene family cluster into different groups, indicating a diversification of function. (Summary by Mary Williams) Traffic 10.1111/tra.12625