A two-gene strategy increases iron and zinc concentrations in wheat flour, improving mineral bioaccessibility.

Dietary deficiencies of iron and zinc cause human malnutrition that can be mitigated by biofortified staple crops. Conventional breeding approaches to increase grain mineral concentrations in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) have had only limited success, and our understanding of the genetic and physiological barriers to altering this trait is incomplete.

Subcellular dynamics studies of iron reveal how tissue-specific distribution patterns are established in developing wheat grains.

Understanding the mechanisms of iron trafficking in plants is key to enhancing the nutritional quality of crops. Because it is difficult to image iron in transit, we currently have an incomplete picture of the route(s) of iron translocation in developing seeds and how the tissue-specific distribution is established. We have used a novel approach, combining iron-57 ( Fe) isotope labelling and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS), to visualize iron translocation between tissues and within cells in immature wheat grain, Triticum aestivum.

Arabidopsis BRUTUS-LIKE E3 ligases negatively regulate iron uptake by targeting transcription factor FIT for recycling.

Organisms need to balance sufficient uptake of iron (Fe) with possible toxicity. In plant roots, a regulon of uptake genes is transcriptionally activated under Fe deficiency, but it is unknown how this response is inactivated when Fe becomes available. Here we describe the function of 2 partially redundant E3 ubiquitin ligases, BRUTUS-LIKE1 (BTSL1) and BTSL2, in and provide evidence that they target the transcription factor FIT, a key regulator of Fe uptake, for degradation.

Iron Biofortification of Staple Crops: Lessons and Challenges in Plant Genetics.

Plants are the ultimate source of iron in our diet, either directly as staple crops and vegetables or indirectly via animal fodder. Increasing the iron concentration of edible parts of plants, known as biofortification, is seen as a sustainable approach to alleviate iron deficiency which is a major global health issue. Advances in sequencing and gene technology are accelerating both forward and reverse genetic approaches.

Improving wheat as a source of iron and zinc for global nutrition.

Wheat is the staple food crop in temperate countries and increasingly consumed in developing countries, displacing traditional foods. However, wheat products are typically low in bioavailable iron and zinc, contributing to deficiencies in these micronutrients in countries where wheat is consumed as a staple food. Two factors contribute to the low contents of bioavailable iron and zinc in wheat: the low concentrations of these minerals in white flour, which is most widely consumed, and the presence of phytates in mineral-rich bran fractions.