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Genome-wide analysis of zinc- and iron-regulated transporter-like protein family members in apple and functional validation of ZIP10

BioMetals volume 32, pages 657–669 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Deficiency of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) is common in apple grown in orchards, which affects fruit yield and quality. However, the mechanisms of absorption and transport of Zn and Fe in apples are still unclear. In the present study, we aimed to identify MdZIP genes and explore the mechanism of response of MdZIPs to Zn and Fe deficiencies. Eighteen Zn- and Fe-regulated transporter-like protein (ZIP) family members were identified in apple (Malus domestica L.) and named according to their chromosomal location. Phylogenetic analysis divided MdZIPs into four groups, and the most closely related MdZIPs in the phylogenetic tree showed similar gene structures and protein motifs. Expression pattern analysis indicated that ZIP genes in apple were differentially expressed among tissues and developmental stages under Zn and Fe deficiency. The overexpression of MdZIP10 increased the content of Zn and Fe in Arabidopsis thaliana L. and MdZIP10 played crucial roles in the uptake and transport of Zn and Fe. MdZIP10 was able to rescue growth of Zn2+ and Fe2+ uptake defective yeast mutants under Zn2+ and Fe2+ deficient conditions, respectively. Symptoms of Zn and Fe deficiency were alleviated in the MdZIP10 transgenic plants. The expression of genes related to Fe and Zn uptake and transport was induced in the MdZIP10 transgenic plants, thereby stimulating endogenous Fe and Zn uptake and transport mechanisms. The present study lays the foundation for future functional analysis of ZIP genes in apple.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. David Eide (Nutritional Science Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA) and Dr. Jingtang Chen (Department of Agronomy, Agricultural University of Hebei/Hebei Sub-center of Chinese National Maize Improvement Center, China) for providing the yeast strains DEY1453, ZHY3, the wild type strain DY1455 and yeast expression vector pFL61; This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31572083]; funds of Shandong “Double Tops” Program [SYL2017YSTD01 to Y. W.] and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province [ZR2014CQ055].

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Author notes

  1. Xiaocen Ma and Heng Liu have equally contributed to the work.

Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, 271018, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaocen Ma, Heng Liu, Huairong Cao, Ruyu Qi, Kuo Yang, Rongrong Zhao, Wei Lv & Yuanhu Zhang

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  1. Xiaocen Ma
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  2. Heng Liu
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  3. Huairong Cao
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  4. Ruyu Qi
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  5. Kuo Yang
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  7. Wei Lv
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  8. Yuanhu Zhang
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Contributions

Designed the experiments: XM, WL and YHZ. Performed the experiments: XCM. Analyzed the data: XCM, HC, HL, RQ, KY and RZ, Wrote the paper: XCM, HL.

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Correspondence to Wei Lv or Yuanhu Zhang.

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Ma, X., Liu, H., Cao, H. et al. Genome-wide analysis of zinc- and iron-regulated transporter-like protein family members in apple and functional validation of ZIP10. Biometals 32, 657–669 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-019-00203-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-019-00203-6

Keywords

  • Zinc- and iron-regulated transporter-like protein
  • ZIP gene
  • Zinc and iron deficiency
  • Yeast complementation