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Overexpression of AtFRO6 in transgenic tobacco enhances ferric chelate reductase activity in leaves and increases tolerance to iron-deficiency chlorosis

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Abstract

The Arabidopsis gene FRO6(AtFRO6) encodes ferric chelate reductase and highly expressed in green tissues of plants. We have expressed the gene AtFRO6 under the control of a 35S promoter in transgenic tobacco plants. High-level expression of AtFRO6 in transgenic plants was confirmed by northern blot analysis. Ferric reductase activity in leaves of transgenic plants grown under iron-sufficient or iron-deficient conditions is 2.13 and 1.26 fold higher than in control plants respectively. The enhanced ferric reductase activity led to increased concentrations of ferrous iron and chlorophyll, and reduced the iron deficiency chlorosis in the transgenic plants, compared to the control plants. In roots, the concentration of ferrous iron and ferric reductase activity were not significantly different in the transgenic plants compared to the control plants. These results suggest that FRO6 functions as a ferric chelate reductase for iron uptake by leaf cells, and overexpression of AtFRO6 in transgenic plants can reduce iron deficiency chlorosis.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr E. L. Connolly of University of South Carolina for supplying the plasmid pBlu/AtFRO6. The research was supported by National Natural Science Foundation(30970552); Foundation for Key Teachers from Heilongjiang Educational Committee(1005HQ024); Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China(C2005-07) and Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Scholars, Ministry of Education of China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Molecular Cytogenetics, Heilongjiang Province, Department of Biology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin, 150025, China

    Li-Ya Li, Qiu-Yi Cai, Dian-Si Yu & Chang-Hong Guo

  2. College of Life Science, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, 150080, China

    Li-Ya Li

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  1. Li-Ya Li
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Correspondence to Chang-Hong Guo.

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Li, LY., Cai, QY., Yu, DS. et al. Overexpression of AtFRO6 in transgenic tobacco enhances ferric chelate reductase activity in leaves and increases tolerance to iron-deficiency chlorosis. Mol Biol Rep 38, 3605–3613 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0472-9

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