Title : Gene expression study of iron transporters in Amaranthus tricolor L
Abstract:
Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient required for plants’ physiological and biochemical processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and DNA synthesis. While iron is present in large quantities in the Earth's crust, it is often rendered unavailable to plants under conditions of calcareous or alkaline soil, causing widespread iron deficiency that greatly impedes crop productivity and nutritional quality. Amaranthus tricolor, a nutritious leafy green vegetable, is an appropriate plant model to study iron uptake mechanisms since it is tolerant, iron-rich, and displays typical physiological responses to iron deficiency.
The study aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying iron uptake in Amaranthus tricolor, with a focus on the expression of the Iron-Regulated Transporter 1 (IRT1) gene and Fe²? transporter under iron-sufficient and iron deficient conditions through tissue culture-based propagation, RNA isolation, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) techniques. IRT1 is a key component in the Strategy-I iron acquisition pathway, which is employed by non-graminaceous plants to absorb iron from the soil. Seeds of A. tricolor were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with and without iron supplementation. Root tissue of the plants was utilized for RNA extraction of high quality, cDNA synthesis, and qRT-PCR utilizing gene-specific primers.
Actin was employed as the internal reference gene to standardize the expression levels. The results showed a dramatic upregulation of IRT 1 and the Fe²? transporter gene in iron-limited condition, establishing its important function in iron uptake and homeostasis. This study highlights the importance of molecular methods in elucidating plant nutrient transport mechanisms, and the knowledge can be used to develop iron-biofortified crops, which are crucial for public health initiatives and sustainable agriculture, as iron deficiency is a widespread problem, particularly in regions reliant on plant-based diets.
