Abstract
Basic cellular processes such as electron transport in photosynthesis and respiration require the precise control of iron homeostasis. To mobilise iron, plants have evolved at least two different strategies. The non-proteinogenic amino acid nicotianamine is an essential component of both pathways.
We briefly review the characterisation of the nicotianamine synthase as a member of a novel class of enzymes, the cloning of the corresponding gene coding sequences of barley, Arabidopsis and tomato as well as the molecular basis of the chloronerva mutant exhibiting severe defects in the regulation of iron metabolism.
Further, we report on current experiments aiming to the application of various NAS-genes to manipulate iron assimilation in model and crop plants using transgenic sense and antisense approaches.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bechtold N, Ellis J and Pelletier G 1993 In planta Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer by infiltration of adult Arabidopsis thaliana plants. CR Acad. Sci. Paris 316, 1194-1199.
Guerinot M L and Yi Y 1994 Iron: nutritious, noxious, and not readily available. Plant Physiol. 104, 815-820.
Herbik A, Giritch A, Horstmann C, Becker R, Balzer J, Bäumlein H and Stephan U W 1996 Iron and copper nutrition-dependent changes in protein expression in a tomato wild type and the nicotianamine-free mutant chloronerva. Plant Physiol. 111, 533-540.
Herbik A, Koch G, Mock H P, Dushkov M, Czihal A, Thielmann J, Stephan U W and Bäumlein H 1999 Isolation, characterisation and cDNA cloning of nicotianamine synthase from barley. A key enzyme for iron homeostasis in plants. Eur. J. Biochem. 265, 231-239.
Higuchi K, Suzuki K, Nakanishi H, Yamaguchi H, Nishizawa N K and Mori S 1999 Cloning of nicotianamine synthase genes, novel genes involved in the biosynthesis of phytosiderophores. Plant Physiol. 119, 471-479.
Höffgens R, and Willmitzer L 1990 Biochemical and genetic analysis of different patatin isoforms expressed in various organs of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Plant Sci. 66, 221-230.
Kawai S, Itoh K, Takagi S I, Iwashita T and Nomoto K 1988 Studies on phytosiderophores: Biosynthesis of mugineic acid and 2'-deoxymugineic acid in Hordeum vulgare L. var. Minorimugi. Tetrahedron Lett 29, 1053-1056.
Ling H Q, Koch G, Bäumlein H and Ganal M 1999 Map-based cloning of chloronerva-a gene involved in iron uptake of higher plants encoding nicotianamine synthase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 7098-7103.
Marschner H and Römheld V 1994 Strategies of plants for acquisition of iron. Plant Soil 165, 261-274.
Pich A and Scholz G 1996 Translocation of copper and other micronutrients in tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.): nicotianamine-stimulated copper transport in the xylem. J. Exp. Bot. 47, 41-47.
Rudolph A, Becker R, Scholz, Procházka Z, Toman J, Macek T and Herout V 1985 The occurrence of the amino acid nicotianamine in plants and microorganisms. A reinvestigation. Biochem. Physiol. Pflanzen 180, 557-563.
Schmidke I and Stephan U W 1995 Transport of metal miconutrients in the phloem of castor bean (Ricinus communis) seedlings. Physiol. Plant. 95, 147-153.
Schmidke I, Krüger C, Frömmichen R, Scholz G and Stephan U W 1999 Phloem loading and transport characteristics of iron in interaction with plant-endogenous ligands in castor bean seedlings. Physiol. Plant. 106, 82-89.
Scholz G, Becker R, Pich A and Stephan U W 1992 Nicotianamine-a common constituent of strategies I and II of iron acquisition by plants: A review. J. Plant Nutr. 15, 1647-1665.
Shojima S, Nishizawa N K and Mori S 1989 Establishment of a cell-free system for the biosynthesis of nicotianamine. Plant Cell Physiol. 30, 673-677.
Stephan U W and Grün M 1989 Physiological disorders of the nicotianamine-auxotroph tomato mutant chloronerva at different levels of iron nutrition. II: Iron deficiency response and heavy metal metabolism. Biochem. Physiol. Pflanzen 185, 189-200.
Stephan U W and Scholz G 1993 Nicotianamine: mediator of transport of iron and heavy metals in the phloem? Physiol. Plant. 88, 522-529.
Suzuki K, Higuchi, K, Nakanishi H, Nishizawa N K and Mori S 1999 Cloning of nicotianamine synthase genes from Arabidopsis thaliana. Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 45, 993-1002.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Douchkov, D., Herbik, A., Koch, G. et al. Nicotianamine synthase: Gene isolation, gene transfer and application for the manipulation of plant iron assimilation. Plant and Soil 241, 115–119 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016085828996
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016085828996