Research2 sources
Tiny nutrient, big mystery: Key gene reveals how cereal crops transport nickel
Phys.org ·
The Brief · written from 2 sources
- Researchers identified a maize gene, ZmNAET1, that controls nickel accumulation in the plant.
- The gene encodes a nicotianamine efflux transporter localized in the node phloem that regulates nickel delivery to sink organs, including seeds.
- In seeds, nickel-dependent urease activity promotes amino acid metabolism, suggesting a role for nickel in yield formation of graminaceous plants.
Why it matters
Long-distance transport of nickel from stems and leaves to grains was poorly understood for more than 50 years, and the findings point to a previously unappreciated link between nickel and cereal yield.
Who’s affected
- plant physiologists and crop scientists
- researchers studying plant nutrient transport
- #nickel
- #maize
- #plant nutrition
- #nutrient transport
- #crop yield
Nickel plays an important physiological role in plants, but how it is transported over long distances from stems and leaves to grains was poorly understood for more than 50 years. Now researchers have identified a key transporter gene, ZmNAET1, that controls nickel accumulation…
Timeline
Study describing the ZmNAET1 nickel transporter in maize published in Cell
cell.com
Nicotianamine-driven nickel transport to sink organs underpins maize productivity
Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology
Tiny nutrient, big mystery: Key gene reveals how cereal crops transport nickel