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Review
. 2020 Dec 5;21(23):9280.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21239280.

Dissection of Molecular Processes and Genetic Architecture Underlying Iron and Zinc Homeostasis for Biofortification: From Model Plants to Common Wheat

Jingyang Tong  1 , Mengjing Sun  1 , Yue Wang  1 , Yong Zhang  1 , Awais Rasheed  2   3 , Ming Li  1 , Xianchun Xia  1 , Zhonghu He  1   2 , Yuanfeng Hao  1
Affiliations
Review

Dissection of Molecular Processes and Genetic Architecture Underlying Iron and Zinc Homeostasis for Biofortification: From Model Plants to Common Wheat

Jingyang Tong et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The micronutrients iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) are not only essential for plant survival and proliferation but are crucial for human health. Increasing Fe and Zn levels in edible parts of plants, known as biofortification, is seen a sustainable approach to alleviate micronutrient deficiency in humans. Wheat, as one of the leading staple foods worldwide, is recognized as a prioritized choice for Fe and Zn biofortification. However, to date, limited molecular and physiological mechanisms have been elucidated for Fe and Zn homeostasis in wheat. The expanding molecular understanding of Fe and Zn homeostasis in model plants is providing invaluable resources to biofortify wheat. Recent advancements in NGS (next generation sequencing) technologies coupled with improved wheat genome assembly and high-throughput genotyping platforms have initiated a revolution in resources and approaches for wheat genetic investigations and breeding. Here, we summarize molecular processes and genes involved in Fe and Zn homeostasis in the model plants Arabidopsis and rice, identify their orthologs in the wheat genome, and relate them to known wheat Fe/Zn QTL (quantitative trait locus/loci) based on physical positions. The current study provides the first inventory of the genes regulating grain Fe and Zn homeostasis in wheat, which will benefit gene discovery and breeding, and thereby accelerate the release of Fe- and Zn-enriched wheats.

Keywords: iron; micronutrient; orthologous genes; wheat; zinc.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Landscape of genetic architecture underlying Fe- and Zn-related traits in wheat. 1A–7A, 1B–7B, and 1D–7D indicate the numbers of chromosomes in wheat. Genetic loci for Fe and Zn traits identified from wheat orthologs of Arabidopsis and rice genes, QTL mapping, association studies, and cloned wheat genes are displayed in black, blue, brown, and red, respectively. Blue and yellow bars within chromosomes indicate the locations of centromeres and QTL-rich clusters. “GFe” and “GZn” indicate grain Fe- and Zn-related loci, respectively. QTL associated with both Fe and Zn are underlined.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic diagram of genetic biofortification strategies to enrich Fe and Zn in wheat grain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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