Ozone-induced caspase-like activities are dependent on early ion channel regulations and ROS generation in Arabidopsis thaliana cells.

Using A. thaliana cultured cells; we recently reported new insights regarding the effect of acute O₃ exposure. This consist in an oxidative dependent controlled cell death process involving cell shrinkage due to an early activation of anion channel (1) and a delayed activation of K(+) outward currents, but also to early events like Ca (2+) influx or singlet oxygen production possibly linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. Here we provide evidence that most of these early events act downstream of caspase-like activities as recently demonstrated for K(+) channel activation.