The Role of ENHANCED RESPONSES TO ABA1 (ERA1) in Arabidopsis Stomatal Responses Is Beyond ABA Signaling.

Proper stomatal responses are essential for plant function in an altered environment. The core signaling pathway for abscisic acid (ABA)-induced stomatal closure involves perception of the hormone that leads to the activation of guard cell anion channels by the protein kinase OPEN STOMATA1. Several other regulators are suggested to modulate the ABA signaling pathway, including the protein ENHANCED RESPONSE TO ABA1 (ERA1), that encodes the farnesyl transferase β-subunit. The era1 mutant is hypersensitive to ABA during seed germination and shows a more closed stomata phenotype. Using a genetics approach with the double mutants era1 abi1-1 and era1 ost1, we show that while era1 suppressed the high stomatal conductance of abi1-1 and ost1, the ERA1 function was not required for stomatal closure in response to ABA and environmental factors. Further experiments indicated a role for ERA1 in blue light-induced stomatal opening. In addition, we show that ERA1 function in disease resistance was independent of its role in stomatal regulation. Our results indicate a function for ERA1 in stomatal opening and pathogen immunity.