Iron deficiency and the loss of chloroplast iron-sulfur cluster assembly trigger distinct transcriptome changes in Arabidopsis rosettes.

Regulation of mRNA abundance revealed a genetic program for plant leaf acclimation to iron (Fe) limitation. The transcript for SUFB, a key component of the plastid iron-sulfur (Fe-S) assembly pathway is down-regulated early after Fe deficiency, and prior to down-regulation of mRNAs encoding abundant chloroplast Fe containing proteins, which should economize the use of Fe. What controls this system is unclear.