Green Tea Catechins, (-)-Catechin Gallate, and (-)-Gallocatechin Gallate are Potent Inhibitors of ABA-Induced Stomatal Closure.

Stomatal movement is indispensable for plant growth and survival in response to environmental stimuli. Cytosolic Ca elevation plays a crucial role in ABA-induced stomatal closure during drought stress; however, to what extent the Ca movement across the plasma membrane from the apoplast to the cytosol contributes to this process still needs clarification. Here the authors identify (-)-catechin gallate (CG) and (-)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), components of green tea, as inhibitors of voltage-dependent K channels which regulate K fluxes in Arabidopsis thaliana guard cells. In Arabidopsis guard cells CG/GCG prevent ABA-induced: i) membrane depolarization; ii) activation of Ca permeable cation (I ) channels; and iii) cytosolic Ca transients. In whole Arabidopsis plants co-treatment with CG/GCG and ABA suppressed ABA-induced stomatal closure and surface temperature increase. Similar to ABA, CG/GCG inhibited stomatal closure is elicited by the elicitor peptide, flg22 but has no impact on dark-induced stomatal closure or light- and fusicoccin-induced stomatal opening, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of CG/GCG is associated with Ca -related signaling pathways. This study further supports the crucial role of I channels of the plasma membrane in ABA-induced stomatal closure. Moreover, CG and GCG represent a new tool for the study of abiotic or biotic stress-induced signal transduction pathways.