The function of iron homeostasis in plant stress responses
▶Summary
Human nutrition depends on plant growth. However, climate change, pollution and intense agricultural practices cause soil degradation imposing severe stresses for crops, threatening food security. As sessile organisms, plants evolved complex molecular and physiological mechanisms to adapt to these abiotic stresses. In recent years, it has been unveiled that iron (Fe) oxidation state dynamics is a key factor for optimal response to several abiotic stresses. This proposed regulatory role for Fe is disruptive and largely unexplored. Thus, deciphering the molecular mechanisms at the intersection of Fe homeostasis and stress responses has important implications for agriculture and our understanding of plant resilience. This is in line with the second goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to transform our world by ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. The present project aims to contribute to our understanding of plant resilience by studying the regulatory role of Fe under nutritional stresses commonly present in soils.