Plant iron nutrition: the long road from soil to seeds

Abstract

Iron (Fe) is an essential plant micronutrient since photosynthesis, respiration, the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and many other cellular processes depend on adequate Fe levels. Nonetheless, non-complexed Fe ions can be dangerous for cells, as they can act as a pro-oxidant. Therefore, plants possess a complex homeostatic control system for safely taking up Fe from the soil, transporting it to the various cellular destinations and for its subcellular compartmentalization. At the end of the plant’s life cycle, maturing seeds are loaded with the required amount of Fe for germination and early seedling establishment. In this review, we discuss recent findings on how the microbiota in the rhizosphere influence and interact with the strategies adopted by plants to take up iron from the soil. We also focus on the process of seed loading with Fe and take into account the Fe metabolism in wild crops’ relatives. These aspects of plant Fe nutrition can represent promising avenues for a better comprehension of the long road of Fe from soil to seeds.

Physiological Importance of Molybdate Transporter Family 1 in Feeding the Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis Pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana

“…Consequently, this elevated demand for Moco could only be fulfilled by an increased export rate of molybdate by MOT1.2. (ii) In general, developing seeds are loaded with a variety of important substances such as carbohydrates, storage proteins, oils and essential elements provided by the mother plant for the next generation [ 67 ]. Next to mineral macronutrients such as magnesium or sulfur, micronutrients such as iron or Mo are also transferred to seeds [ 68 ].…”

Biofortification to avoid malnutrition in humans in a changing climate: Enhancing micronutrient bioavailability in seed, tuber, and storage roots

“…Despite iron and/or zinc homeostasis in plants, model plants such as Arabidopsis and food grain crops have improved over the past decades ( Kim and Guerinot, 2007 ; Connorton et al., 2017a ; Garcia-Oliveira et al., 2018 ; Zlobin, 2021 ; Murgia et al., 2022 ; Stanton et al., 2022 ); such information is very limited in tuber and root storage crops. From a biofortification point of view, the genes whose functionality is linked to Fe/Zn metabolism and has been validated in various crops could be utilized in root and tuber crops by either exploring the novel alleles of such genes in the germplasm or employing directly transgenic approaches.…”

Silencing of FRO1 gene affects iron homeostasis and nutrient balance in tomato plants

“…Given the narrow range of Fe concentrations required, plants must have well‐tuned systems to ensure adequate internal Fe concentrations (Murgia et al., 2022). Excess of Fe can be harmful due to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, which causes cellular damage resulting in browning spots in leaves (Zahra et al., 2021).…”

“…Once inside the plant, there is a long journey for Fe, from root to seed, which was described in detail by Murgia et al. (2022). During this pathway, the (FCR) is responsible for Fe reduction (Barberon et al., 2014; Connolly et al., 2003; Kobayashi & Nishizawa, 2012; Robinson et al., 1999; Walker & Connolly, 2008), especially in dicots.…”