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Localization of Iron in Arabidopsis Seed Requires the Vacuolar Membrane Transporter VIT1
Sun A. Kim,1*Tracy Punshon,1*Antonio Lanzirotti,2Liangtao Li,3José M. Alonso,4Joseph R. Ecker,5Jerry Kaplan,3Mary Lou Guerinot1
Iron deficiency is a major human nutritional problem whereverplant-based diets are common. Using synchrotron x-ray fluorescencemicrotomography to directly visualize iron in Arabidopsis seeds,we show that iron is localized primarily to the provascularstrands of the embryo. This localization is completely abolishedwhen the vacuolar iron uptake transporter VIT1 is disrupted.Vacuolar iron storage is also critical for seedling developmentbecause vit1-1 seedlings grow poorly when iron is limiting.We have uncovered a fundamental aspect of seed biology thatwill ultimately aid the development of nutrient-rich seed, benefitingboth human health and agricultural productivity.
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. 2 Consortium for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. 3 Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA. 4 Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. 5 Plant Biology and Genomic Analysis Laboratories, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
* These authors contributed equally to this work.
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: guerinot{at}dartmouth.edu
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