title: Mobilization of Iron by Plant-Borne Coumarins.
abstract: Iron is one of the most abundant elements in soils, but its low phytoavailability at high pH restricts plant communities on alkaline soils to taxa that have evolved efficient strategies to increase iron solubility. Recent evidence provides support for a previously underestimated role of root-secreted coumarins in mobilizing iron through reduction and chelation as part of an orchestrated strategy evolved to improve the acquisition of iron from recalcitrant pools. Understanding the mechanisms that tune the production of iron-mobilizing coumarins and their intricate interplay with other biosynthesis pathways could yield clues for deciphering the molecular basis of 'iron efficiency' - the ability of plants to thrive on soils with limited iron availability - and may open avenues for generating iron-fortified crops.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Chung Hsing University, Taipei 11529, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan; Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huei Hsuan
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Chung Hsing University, Taipei 11529, Taiwan; Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan; Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan; Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, College of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. Electronic address: wosh@gate.sinica.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D003374:Coumarins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D053147:Plant Exudates / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D058441:Rhizosphere
chemical_list: D003374:Coumarins; D053147:Plant Exudates; D007501:Iron
keywords: iron deficiency; phenolics; phenylpropanoid pathway; rhizosphere; root exudates