Iron (Fe) is indispensable for growth and development of plants. Plants perceive the fluctuation of environmental Fe concentration and modulate Fe homeostasis associated genes to meet the Fe demand. In the past decade, significant progress has been made in understanding the regulation of Fe uptake in plants. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which plants sense Fe status and transmit the Fe signal is still incomplete. 

In a study published in Plant Communications, Prof. LIANG Gang of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) reviewed the current understanding of Fe uptake, signaling, and sensing in Arabidopsis and rice. 

The review discusses how plants integrate different components into the Fe deficiency response, with a focus on research in Arabidopsis and rice, and highlights the most recently characterized molecular components involved in Fe sensing, Fe signaling, and downstream Fe uptake processes. 

Taking Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa as examples, the review begins with discussing the Fe acquisition systems controlling Fe uptake from soil, the major components regulating the Fe uptake systems and then the perception of Fe status.  

During the past decade, the identification of Fe sensors and many key transcription factors has helped us to build a basic regulatory network of the Fe-deficiency response. Further dissecting the functions of each component will make a substantial contribution to plant biology, agriculture, and human nutrition. 

“Future explorations of Fe signal transduction will pave the way for understanding the regulatory mechanisms that underlie the maintenance of plant Fe homeostasis,” said LIANG Gang. 

Contact 

LIANG Gang Ph.D Principal Investigator      

Key Laboratory of Tropical Plant Resources and Sustainable Use, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun 666303, Yunnan, China