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Nicotianamine is a major player in plant Zn homeostasis

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Abstract

Nicotianamine (NA) is among the most studied plant metal chelators. A large body of evidence supports its crucial role for Fe distribution in plants and as a precursor of phytosiderophore synthesis in grasses. NA forms stable complexes in vitro not only with Fe(II) and Fe(III) but also with various other divalent metal cations including Zn(II). Early observations indicated a possible contribution of NA to Zn trafficking in plants. Numerous studies on transgenic monocot and dicot plants with modulated NA levels have since then reported Zn accumulation phenotypes. NAS genes were shown to represent promising targets for biofortification efforts. For instance, NA was found to bind Zn in rice grains in a form bioavailable for humans. Recently, additional strong support for the existence of Zn–NA complexes in planta has been obtained in rice, Arabidopsis thaliana and the Zn hyperaccumulating plant A. halleri. We review the evidence for a role of NA in the intercellular and long-distance transport of Zn in plants and discuss open questions.

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Acknowledgments

Work in the authors’ laboratory is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. U.D. and S.U. gratefully acknowledge postdoctoral fellowships from the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

    Stephan Clemens, Hassan Ahmadi, Stephan Höreth & Shimpei Uraguchi

  2. Bayreuth Center for Molecular Biosciences, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany

    Stephan Clemens

  3. Cell and Developmental Biology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Ulrich Deinlein

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  1. Stephan Clemens
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  2. Ulrich Deinlein
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Correspondence to Stephan Clemens.

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Clemens, S., Deinlein, U., Ahmadi, H. et al. Nicotianamine is a major player in plant Zn homeostasis. Biometals 26, 623–632 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-013-9643-1

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