Abstract. The uptake of 59Fe from FeC13, ferric (Fe 3+) citrate (FeCitr) and Fe3+-EDTA (FeEDTA) was studied in leaf mesophyll of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Uptake rates decreased in the order FeC13 > FeCitr>> FeEDTA, and uptake depended on an obligatory reduction step of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+, after which the ion could be taken up independently of the chelator, citrate. Uptake was strongly increased by photosynthetically active light (2 > 630 nm), and kinetic analysis revealed saturation kinetics with a K m (FeCitr) of 80-110 laM. In the presence of an external Fe 2+ scavenger, bathophenanthroline disulfonate, the mesophyll also reduced external FeCitr with a K m of approx. 50--60 laM. The reduction rates for FeCitr were fiveto eightfold higher than necessary for uptake. Purified plasma membranes from leaves revealed an NADH-dependent FeCitr-and FeEDTA-reductase activity, which had a pH optimum of 6.5-6.8 and a K m of approx. 20 laM for NADH. Under anaerobic conditions, a K m of 130-170 laM, for ferric chelates was obtained, while in the presence of oxygen a K m (FeCitr) of approx. 100 laM was found. It is concluded that the leaf plasma membrane provides a ferric-chelate-reductase activity, which plays a crucial role in iron uptake of leaf cells. Under in-vivo conditions, however, reactive oxygen species or strong (blue) light may also contribute to the obligatory reduction of Fe 3+ prior to uptake.

Higher plant roots, leaf mesophyll tissue, protoplasts as well as green algae are able to reduce extra-cellular ferricyanide and ferric chelates. In roots of dicotyledonous and nongraminaceous, monocotyledonous plants, the rate of ferric reduction is increased by iron deficiency. This reduction is an obligatory prerequisite for iron uptake and is mediated by redox systems localized on the plasma membrane. Plasma membrane-bound iron reductase systems catalyze the transmembrane electron transport from cytosolic reduced pyridine nucleotides to extracellular iron compounds. Natural and synthetic ferric complexes can act as electron acceptors.This paper gives an overview about the present knowledge on iron reductase systems at the plant plasma membrane with special emphasis on biochemical characteristics and localisation.

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Columbia wild type and a root hair-less mutant RM57 were grown on iron-containing and iron-deficient nutrient solutions. In both genotypes, ferric chelate reductase (FCR) of intact roots was induced upon iron deficiency and followed a Michaelis-Menten kinetic with a Km of 45 and 54 microM FeIII-EDTA and a Vmax of 42 and 33 nmol Fe2+.(g FW)-1.min-1 for the wild type and the mutant, respectively. The pH optimum for the reaction was around pH 5.5. The approximately four fold stimulation of FCR activity was independent of formation of root hairs and/or transfer cells induced by iron deficiency. Iron-deficiency-induced chlorosis and the development of a rigid root habit disappeared when ferric chelate was applied to the leaves, while FCR activity remained unchanged. The time course of the responses to iron deficiency showed that morphological and physiological responses were controlled separately.

A comparative study of two kiwifruit genotypes (Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson var. deliciosa) with different tolerance to iron (Fe) deficiency was conducted to identify biochemical features associated with tolerance to Fe deficiency. After 14 days of growth in hydroponic culture under Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient conditions, leaf chlorophyll concentration, activities of ferric chelate reductase (FCR), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and citrate synthase in root extracts, concentrations of organic acids in roots, leaves and xylem sap, and xylem sap pH were measured. In response to Fe deficiency, the tolerant genotype D1 showed: (i) higher FCR activity associated with a longer lasting induction of FCR; (ii) higher PEPC activity; (iii) higher concentrations of citric acid in roots; and (iv) lower xylem sap pH compared with the susceptible genotype Hayward. These findings imply that induction of FCR and PEPC activities in roots in response to Fe deficiency are important physiological adaptations enabling Fe-efficient kiwifruit plants to tolerate Fe deficiency.

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