Regulation of the iron deficiency response

Iron is an essential nutrient required for life in nearly all organisms, and iron deficiency is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in humans.  Much of the world’s population relies on plants as the primary source of iron, so our interests focus on how iron is regulated in plants.  Despite the abundance of iron in the soil, it is relatively inaccessible, and plants must utilize specific strategies to take up iron.  These changes include acidifying the soil, reducing iron, and increasing iron uptake.  How these changes are regulated are still being investigated.

We expect that the most important regulatory players will be induced under iron deficiency and will act as transcription factors.   My research is directly aimed at understanding the impact of two such transcription factors.  Plants without these proteins die under iron-limiting conditions, and I am currently investigating the mechanisms underlying this defect.   Understanding this pathway will allow us to better modulate iron regulation and accumulation in plants, with the eventual goal of increasing the quantity of iron in the foods that people rely on.