Department of Biology

From the stars to your table - plants as complex conduits for iron nutrition

Dr. Terri Long
North Carolina State University

March 15, 2024
3-4 pm

Hosted By Dr. Ayalew Osena

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient that plays critical roles in central metabolic plant processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. The mechanisms by which plants maintain Fe homeostasis are particularly intriguing. While it is relatively abundant, in most soils Fe is insoluble and therefore of limited bioavailability, however excess Fe accumulation in plants can lead to cellular damage. Thus, plants must extract sufficient Fe from recalcitrant growth environments, while also ensuring that Fe content does not exceed a specific range. Arabidopsis and other dicots have developed mechanisms to sense Fe deficiency in the shoot, which triggers roots to solubilize, reduce and uptake Fe across multiple root cell types before transport to the shoot. Using cell sorting in combination with mathematical modeling and genetic analysis, we have uncovered several molecular mechanisms that control how plants recognize and respond to iron deficiency stress. Our findings provide new evidence for how specific cell types within the root are involved in these processes.