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Oryza sativa FER‐LIKE FE DEFICIENCY‐INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR (OsFIT/OsbHLH156) interacts with OsIRO2 to regulate iron homeostasis
Author(s) -
Liang Gang,
Zhang Huimin,
Li Yang,
Pu Mengna,
Yang Yujie,
Li Chenyang,
Lu Chengkai,
Xu Peng,
Yu Diqiu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of integrative plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.734
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1744-7909
pISSN - 1672-9072
DOI - 10.1111/jipb.12933
Subject(s) - transcription factor , arabidopsis , oryza sativa , cytoplasm , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , transcription (linguistics) , biology , nucleus , homeostasis , gene expression , regulator , genetics , chemistry , mutant , linguistics , philosophy
Iron (Fe) is indispensable for the growth and development of plants. It is well known that FER‐LIKE FE DEFICIENCY‐INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR (FIT) is a key regulator of Fe uptake in Arabidopsis . Here, we identify the Oryza sativa FIT (also known as OsbHLH156) as the interacting partner of IRON‐RELATED BHLH TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 2 (OsIRO2) that is critical for regulating Fe uptake. The OsIRO2 protein is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus, but OsFIT facilitates the accumulation of OsIRO2 in the nucleus. Loss‐of‐function mutations of OsFIT result in decreased Fe accumulation, severe Fe‐deficiency symptoms, and disrupted expression of Fe‐uptake genes. In contrast, OsFIT overexpression promotes Fe accumulation and the expression of Fe‐uptake genes. Genetic analyses indicate that OsFIT and OsIRO2 function in the same genetic node. Further analyses suggest that OsFIT and OsIRO2 form a functional transcription activation complex to initiate the expression of Fe‐uptake genes. Our findings provide a mechanism understanding of how rice maintains Fe homeostasis.