Global transcriptome profiling reveals root- and leaf-specific responses of barley ( L.) to HO.

In cereal crops, such as barley ( L.), the ability to appropriately respond to environmental cues is an important factor for yield stability and thus for agricultural production. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as hydrogen peroxide (HO), are key components of signal transduction cascades involved in plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

Cation diffusion facilitator proteins of Beta vulgaris reveal diversity of metal handling in dicotyledons.

Manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) are essential for diverse processes in plants, but their availability is often limiting or excessive. Cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) proteins have been implicated in the allocation of those metals in plants, whereby most of our mechanistic understanding has been obtained in Arabidopsis. It is unclear to what extent this can be generalized to other dicots.

Comparative analysis of stress-induced calcium signals in the crop species barley and the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Background: Plants are continuously exposed to changing environmental conditions and biotic attacks that affect plant growth. In crops, the inability to respond appropriately to stress has strong detrimental effects on agricultural production and yield. Ca signalling plays a fundamental role in the response of plants to most abiotic and biotic stresses.

Manganese in Plants: From Acquisition to Subcellular Allocation.

Manganese (Mn) is an important micronutrient for plant growth and development and sustains metabolic roles within different plant cell compartments. The metal is an essential cofactor for the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of the photosynthetic machinery, catalyzing the water-splitting reaction in photosystem II (PSII). Despite the importance of Mn for photosynthesis and other processes, the physiological relevance of Mn uptake and compartmentation in plants has been underrated.

Chloroplast-localized BICAT proteins shape stromal calcium signals and are required for efficient photosynthesis.

The photosynthetic machinery of plants must be regulated to maximize the efficiency of light reactions and CO fixation. Changes in free Ca in the stroma of chloroplasts have been observed at the transition between light and darkness, and also in response to stress stimuli. Such Ca dynamics have been proposed to regulate photosynthetic capacity.

Metal Tolerance Protein 8 Mediates Manganese Homeostasis and Iron Reallocation during Seed Development and Germination.

Metal accumulation in seeds is a prerequisite for germination and establishment of plants but also for micronutrient delivery to humans. To investigate metal transport processes and their interactions in seeds, we focused on METAL TOLERANCE PROTEIN8 (MTP8), a tonoplast transporter of the manganese (Mn) subclade of cation diffusion facilitators, which in Arabidopsis () is expressed in embryos of seeds. The x-ray fluorescence imaging showed that expression of MTP8 was responsible for Mn localization in subepidermal cells on the abaxial side of the cotyledons and in cortical cells of the hypocotyl.

The Vacuolar Manganese Transporter MTP8 Determines Tolerance to Iron Deficiency-Induced Chlorosis in Arabidopsis.

Iron (Fe) deficiency is a widespread nutritional disorder on calcareous soils. To identify genes involved in the Fe deficiency response, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transfer DNA insertion lines were screened on a high-pH medium with low Fe availability. This approach identified METAL TOLERANCE PROTEIN8 (MTP8), a member of the Cation Diffusion Facilitator family, as a critical determinant for the tolerance to Fe deficiency-induced chlorosis, also on soil substrate.