Abstract
The identification of the key genes regulating plant tolerance to Zn stress is important for enhancing the Zn phytoremediation of targeted plants. Here, we showed that the T-DNA insertion-induced inhibition of the BRUTUS (BTS) gene in the bts-1 mutant greatly improved Zn tolerance, as indicated by increased biomass production and reduced leaf chlorosis. The ProBTS::BTS-GFP complementation in the bts-1 mutant abolished the improvement of Zn tolerance. Unexpectedly, the bts-1 mutant had higher and comparable Zn concentrations in the roots and citrate effluxer shoots, respectively, compared to wild-type plants. As a result, the shoots and roots of bts-1 mutants had 53% and 193% more Zn accumulation than the wild-type plants, respectively. RNA-seq analyses revealed that the Fe nutrition-related genes were upregulated in bts-1 mutants, especially under Zn stress conditions. Therefore, the bts-1 mutants had a greater Fe concentration and a higher Fe/Zn ratio than the wild-type plants exposed to Zn toxicity. Further study showed that the differences in Zn tolerance between bts-1 and wild-type plants were minimized by eliminating Fe or supplementing excessive Fe in the growth medium. Taken together, the T-DNA insertion-induced inhibition of BTS improves plant Zn tolerance by optimizing Fe nutrition; thus, the knockdown of BTS may be a promising approach for improving Zn phytoremediation efficiency.
Highlights
The average soil zinc (Zn) concentration varies from 10 to 300 mg/kg [1].owing to rapid industrialization, mining, sewage irrigation, and the application of agrochemicals, the pollution of soils with Zn has greatly increased over the past decades [1]
Considering the interaction of Fe and Zn in plants, the potential efficacy of partial-loss-of BTS function in improving Zn phytoremediation was evaluated in this study by using T-DNA inserted in an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant [28]
The present study indicates that BTS knockdown mutants displayed a higher Fe/Zn ratio in shoots compared with WT, which might be helpful for maintaining a healthy and balanced metal ion homeostasis
Summary
The average soil zinc (Zn) concentration varies from 10 to 300 mg/kg [1]. owing to rapid industrialization, mining, sewage irrigation, and the application of agrochemicals, the pollution of soils with Zn has greatly increased over the past decades [1]. Considering the above interaction between Zn and Fe, manipulating the genes that regulate plant Fe nutrition by using biotechnological pathways might be a strategy to improve Zn tolerance in plants. Considering the interaction of Fe and Zn in plants, the potential efficacy of partial-loss-of BTS function in improving Zn phytoremediation was evaluated in this study by using T-DNA inserted in an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant [28]. We demonstrated that in Zn-contaminated medium, BTS inhibition enhanced Zn tolerance of plants, and increased Zn accumulation by improving the Fe nutrition of plants
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