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Published on: August 22, 2014
Barriers and carriers for transition metal homeostasis in plants
1National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics & Crop Plant Research (IPK) OT Gatersleben, Corrensstr 3, 06466 Seeland, Germany.
Abstract:
Transition metals are types of metals with high chemical activity. They play critical roles in plant growth, development, reproduction, and environmental adaptation, as well as in human health. However, the acquisition, transport, and storage of these metals pose specific challenges due to their high reactivity and poor solubility. In addition, distinct yet interconnected apoplastic and symplastic diffusion barriers impede their movement throughout plants. To overcome these obstacles, plants have evolved sophisticated carrier systems to facilitate metal transport, relying on the tight coordination of vesicles, enzymes, metallochaperones, low-molecular-weight metal ligands, and membrane transporters for metals, ligands, and metal-ligand complexes. This review highlights recent advances in the homeostasis of transition metals in plants, focusing on the barriers to transition metal transport and the carriers that facilitate their passage through these barriers.
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