A recent study on leguminous plants has uncovered the role of IRON MAN peptides in facilitating the collection of iron into root nodules during rhizobial symbiosis. This process is vital for nitrogen fixation, a key aspect of plant growth and nitrogen homeostasis. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
IMA peptides in legumes enhance iron acquisition for nitrogen fixation, offering insights into sustainable agriculture practices. Leguminous plants have a mechanism to efficiently acquire nitrogen, which is an essential macronutrient for growth, through the nitrogen-fixing bacteria rhizobia. Root nodules are organs on plant roots that facilitate the symbiotic relationship. Rhizobia colonizes these nodules and fix nitrogen by converting nitrogen from air into ammonia.
The research group previously identified a mechanism for regulating rhizobial symbiosis in response to the presence of nitrogen in the soil. This study builds on previous studies by clarifying the underlying mechanism of iron acquisition in response to nitrogen, which provides further insight into the mechanisms of plant adaptation to the environment.
Reference: “IMA peptides regulate root nodulation and nitrogen homeostasis by providing iron according to internal nitrogen status” by Momoyo Ito, Yuri Tajima, Mari Ogawa-Ohnishi, Hanna Nishida, Shohei Nosaki, Momona Noda, Naoyuki Sotta, Kensuke Kawade, Takehiro Kamiya, Toru Fujiwara, Yoshikatsu Matsubayashi and Takuya Suzaki, 29 January 2024,This research was supported by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology KAKENHI grants ; JSTMirai Program to T.S.