Integrin-like protein is involved in the osmotic stress-induced abscisic acid biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

We studied the perception of plant cells to osmotic stress that leads to the accumulation of abscisic acid (ABA) in stressed Arabidopsis thaliana L. cells. A significant difference was found between protoplasts and cells in terms of their responses to osmotic stress and ABA biosynthesis, implying that cell wall and/or cell wall-plasma membrane interaction are essential in identifying osmotic stress. Western blotting and immunofluorescence localization experiments, using polyclonal antibody against human integrin beta 1, revealed the existence of a protein similar to the integrin protein of animals in the suspension-cultured cells located in the plasma membrane fraction. Treatment with a synthetic pentapeptide, Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS), which contains an RGD domain and interacts specifically with integrin protein and thus blocks the cell wall-plasma membrane interaction, significantly inhibited osmotic stress-induced ABA biosynthesis in cells, but not in protoplasts. These results demonstrate that cell wall and/or cell wall-plasma membrane interaction mediated by integrin-like proteins played important roles in osmotic stress-induced ABA biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana.