The complex role of mitochondrial metabolism in plant aluminum resistance.
The majority of soils in tropical and subtropical regions are acidic, rendering the soil a major limitation to plant growth and food production in many developing countries. High concentrations of soluble aluminum cations, particularly Al3+, are largely responsible for reducing root elongation and disrupting nutrient and water uptake. Two mechanisms, namely, the exclusion mechanism and tolerance mechanism, have been proposed to govern Al3+ resistance in plants. Both mechanisms are related to mitochondrial activity as well as to mitochondrial metabolism and organic acid transport. Here, we review the considerable progress that has been made towards developing an understanding of the physiological role of mitochondria in the aluminum response and discuss the potential for using this knowledge in next-generation engineering.
Max Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: nunesnesi@ufv.br.
Adriano
A
Nunes-Nesi
Max Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
Danielle
D
Santos Brito
Núcleo de Investigación en Producción Alimentaría, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Escuela de Agronomía, Universidad Católica de Temuco, P.O. Box 56-D, Temuco, Chile.
Claudio
C
Inostroza-Blancheteau
Central Metabolism Group, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Muehlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Alisdair R
AR
Fernie
Max Planck Partner Group at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: wlaraujo@ufv.br.
Wagner L
WL
Araújo
D000535:Aluminum / Q000633:toxicity*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
D000535:Aluminum
aluminum resistance; mitochondrial metabolism; organic acids; transporter proteins