The Involvement of Phospholipases C and D in the Asymmetric Division of Subsidiary Cell Mother Cells of Zea mays

In the present study, the involvement of phospholipase C and D (PLC and PLD) pathways in the asymmetric divisions that produce the stomatal complexes of Zea mays was investigated. In particular, the polar organization of microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments (AFs) and the process of asymmetric division were studied in subsidary cell mother cells (SMCs) treated with PLC and PLD modulators. In SMCs treated with butanol-1 (but-1), which blocks phosphatidic acid (PA) production via PLDs. AF-patch formation laterally to the inducing guard cell mother cell (GMC) and the subsequent asymmetric division were inhibited. In these SMCs, cell division plane determination, as expressed by MT preprophase band (MT-PBB) formation, was not disturbed. Exogenously applied PA partially relieved the but-1 effects on SMCs. In contrast to SMCs, but-1 did not affect the symmetric GMC division. Inhibition of the PLC catalytic activity by neomycin or U73122 resulted in inhibition of asymmetric SMC division while AF-patch and MT-PPB were organized as in control SMCs. These data show that the PLC and PLD signalling pathways are involved in the transduction and/or perception of the inductive stimulus that is emitted by the GMCs and induces the polar AF organization and asymmetric SMC division. In contrast, division plane determination in SMCs, as expressed by MT-PPB formation, does not depend on PLC and PLD signaling pathways. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 65: 863-875, 2008. (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.