Abstract: Here the regulatory role of CO during stomatal movement in Vicia faba L. was surveyed. Results indicated that, like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), CO donor Hematin induced stomatal closure in dose- and time-dependent manners. These responses were also proven by the addition of gaseous CO aqueous solution with different concentrations, showing the first time that CO and H2O2 exhibit the similar regulation role in the stomatal movement. Moreover, our data showed that ascorbic acid (ASA, an important reducing substrate for H2O2 removal) and diphenylene iodonium (DPI, an inhibitor of the H2O2-generating enzyme NADPH oxidase) not only reversed stomatal closure by CO, but also suppressed the H2O2 fluorescence induced by CO, implying that CO induced-stomatal closure probably involves H2O2 signal. Additionally, the CO/NO scavenger hemoglobin (Hb) and CO specific synthetic inhibitor ZnPPIX, ASA and DPI reversed the darkness-induced stomatal closure and H2O2 fluorescence. These results show that, perhaps like H2O2, the levels of CO in guard cells of V. faba are higher in the dark than in light, HO-1 and NADPH oxidase are the enzyme systems responsible for generating endogenous CO and H2O2 in darkness respectively, and that CO is involved in darkness-induced H2O2 synthesis in V. faba guard cells.

Key words: carbon monoxide, guard cells, hydrogen peroxide, signaling, stomata.