FIT, the FER-LIKE IRON DEFICIENCY INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Our groups have previously identified in independent studies the gene At2g28160 as a central transcription factor that is required for up-regulation of iron deficiency responses in Arabidopsis roots. At2g28160 has been named in different ways in our previous studies, namely FRU = FER-LIKE REGULATOR OF IRON UPTAKE [M. Jakoby, H.Y. Wang, W. Reidt, B. Weisshaar, P. Bauer, FRU (BHLH029) is required for induction of iron mobilization genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, FEBS Lett. 577 (2004) 528–534], BHLH029 [M.A. Heim, M. Jakoby, M. Werber, C. Martin, B. Weisshaar, P.C. Bailey, The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family in plants: a genome-wide study of protein structure and functional diversity, Mol. Biol. Evol. 20 (2003) 735–747; Y.X. Yuan, J. Zhang, D.W. Wang, H.Q. Ling, AtbHLH29 of Arabidopsis thaliana is a functional ortholog of tomato FER involved in controlling iron acquisition in strategy I plants, Cell Res. 15 (2005) 613–621] or FIT1 = Fe-DEFICIENCY-INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1 [E.P.Colangelo, M.L. Guerinot, The essential basic helix-loop-helix protein FIT1 is required for the iron deficiency response, Plant Cell 12 (2004) 3400–3412.] To avoid any confusion in the future we propose a common name for At2g28160 in Arabidopsis, namely FIT = FER-LIKE IRON DEFICIENCY-INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR.