Plants are always exposed to the menace of oxidative stress and protect themselves by activating a variety of defense responses. However, molecular mechanisms for oxidative stress-induced gene expression are largely unknown. We here studied the roles of the oxidative stress-responsive putative voltage-dependent Ca(2+) permeable channels, NtTPC1A and NtTPC1B, and cell cycle in H(2)O(2)-induced expression of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), in tobacco BY-2 cells. H(2)O(2)-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) rise and expression of GPX and APX were inhibited by the cosuppression of NtTPC1A/B as well as Al ion, a specific blocker for NtTPC1s, and enhanced by overexpression of AtTPC1, suggesting that NtTPC1s are the major Ca(2+)-permeable channels activated by H(2)O(2) and that Ca(2+) influx via NtTPC1s is involved in induction of H(2)O(2)-triggered gene expression. Oxidative stress-induced signal transduction mechanisms were highly dependent on the phases of the cell cycle; H(2)O(2)-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) rise and expression of GPX and APX as well as the level of NtTPC1s transcripts correlated with each other and were maximal at G1 phase. In contrast, the cell cycle-dependence of hypoosmotic shock-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) rise that is known to be independent of NtTPC1s was almost reverse and maximal at S phase. These results suggest that the cell cycle-dependent regulation of oxidative stress-induced [Ca(2+)](cyt) rise and expression of NtTPC1s contribute to the cell cycle dependence of H(2)O(2)-induced expression of peroxidases. Various Ca(2+)-mediated signal transduction pathways are differentially regulated by the cell cycle.