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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring Cellular Zinc Regulation Through ZnT1 Functionality
Published on: June 2, 2023
A FIT-binding protein is involved in modulating iron and zinc homeostasis in Arabidopsis
Chun-Lin Chen1,2, Yan Cui1,2, Man Cui1,2
1The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Abstract:
Fe and Zn are essential micronutrients for plant growth, and the interrelationship regarding their homeostasis is very complicated. In this study, we identified a FIT-binding protein (FBP) using the yeast two-hybrid system. The C-terminus of FBP binds to the bHLH domain of FIT, abolishing the DNA-binding capacity of FIT. Knockout of FBP results in an enhanced expression of NAS genes and a higher nicotianamine content, and the fbp mutant exhibits tolerance to excessive Zn. Physiological analyses reveal that the mutant fbp retains a larger amount of Zn in roots and transfers a greater proportion of Fe to shoots than that in wild type under Zn-excessive stress. As FBP is expressed in the root stele, the negative regulation caused by sequestration of FIT is restricted to this tissue, whereas other FIT-regulated genes, such as IRT1 and FRO2, which mainly expressed in root epidermis, do not show transcriptional upregulation in the fbp mutant. As an antagonistic partner, FBP offers a new approach to spatially fine-tune the expression of genes controlled by FIT. In conclusion, our findings provide a new insight to understand the interrelationship of Fe and Zn homeostasis in plants.
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