Structure, Function, Regulation and Phylogenetic Relationship of ZIP Family Transporters of Plants

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for plants and humans. Nearly 50% of the agriculture soils of world are Zn-deficient. The low availability of Zn reduces the yield and quality of the crops. The zinc-regulated, iron-regulated transporter-like proteins (ZIP) family and iron-regulated transporters (IRTs) are involved in cellular uptake of Zn, its intracellular trafficking and detoxification in plants. In addition to Zn, ZIP family transporters also transport other divalent metal cations (such as Cd 2+ , Fe 2+ , and Cu 2+). ZIP transporters play a crucial role in biofortification of grains with Zn. Only a very limited information is available on structural features and mechanism of Zn transport of plant ZIP family transporters. In this article, we present a detailed account on structure, function, regulations and phylogenetic relationships of plant ZIP transporters. We give an insight to structure of plant ZIPs through homology modeling and multiple sequence alignment with Bordetella bronchiseptica ZIP (BbZIP) protein whose crystal structure has been solved recently. We also provide details on ZIP transporter genes identified and characterized in rice and other plants till date. Functional characterization of plant ZIP transporters will help for the better crop yield and human health in future.

Genetic Architecture Underpinning Yield Components and Seed Mineral–Nutrients in Sesame

“…Moreover, the metal-transporters involved in Fe or Zn uptake, also mediate transport of other divalent cations [ 43 ]. For example, in Arabidopsis , the iron-regulated transporter 1 (IRT1, a member of the ZIP family of metal transporters), was also found to uptake Zn and Mn [ 44 ].…”

“…Previously, it was suggested that the residue at position 102 in the second transmembrane domain (TM2) is a conserved hydrophobic residue. The hydrophobic nature is believed to be involved in the blocking of metals at the extracellular surface [ 44 ]. In comparison to S-297 Ser102, S-91 consists a more hydrophobic residue of Phe102.…”

Soybean Root Growth in Response to Chemical, Physical, and Biological Soil Variations

“…Boron deficiency inhibits root growth by decreasing the activity of indoleacetic acid (IAA) (Li et al, 2016), and the IAA acts in the initiation and emergence of lateral roots and in the mitosis of cells (Alarcón et al, 2019). The importance of zinc micronutrient, which acts on the synthesis of tryptophan, which is a precursor required by the synthesis of IAA (Ajeesh Krishna et al, 2020) and which presented mean levels in all sites and at almost all depths.…”

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals candidate genes related to cadmium accumulation and tolerance in two almond mushroom (Agaricus brasiliensis) strains with contrasting cadmium tolerance

“…Toxic metals enter cells either by diffusion or by transporters which may play a role in mediating Cd influx into fungal cells across plasma membrane [ 27 ]. ZIP (Zrt, Irt-like protein-type) family which can transport divalent metal cations (such as Zn 2+ , Cd 2+ , Fe 2+ , and Cu 2+ ) has been discovered in many plants, animals, fungi, protists and bacteria [ 28 , 29 ]. Defect of ZIP family Zn transporter ZRT1 promoted Cd-tolerance through reducing Cd influx and alleviating Cd-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid in yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) cells [ 30 ].…”