Diethyl ether anaesthesia does not block local touch response in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Plants can sense and respond to non-damaging mechanical stimulation such as touch, rain, or wind. Mechanical stimulation induces an increase of cytosolic calcium ([Ca²⁺]_cyt), accumulation of phytohormones from the group of jasmonates (JAs) and activation of gene expression, which can be JAs-dependent or JAs-independent. Response to touch shares similar properties with reactions to stresses such as wounding or pathogen attack, and regular mechanical stimulation leads to changes in growth and development called thigmomorphogenesis. Previous studies showed that well-known seismonastic plants such as Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) or sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica) lost their touch-induced motive responses during exposure to general volatile anaesthetic (GVA) diethyl ether. Here, we investigated the effect of diethyl ether anaesthesia on touch response in Arabidopsis thaliana. We monitored [Ca²⁺]_cyt level, accumulation of JAs and expression of touch-responsive genes. Our results showed that none of the investigated responses was affected by diethyl ether. However, diethyl ether alone increased [Ca²⁺]_cyt and modulated JAs-independent touch-responsive genes, thus partially activating touch response non-specifically. Together with our previous studies, we concluded that GVA diethyl ether cannot block the local rise of [Ca²⁺]_cyt but only its systemic propagation dependent on GLUTAMATE LIKE RECEPTOR 3s (GLR3s) channels.