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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424304
Research Project: Championing Improvement of Sorghum and Other Agriculturally Important Species through Data Stewardship and Functional Dissection of Complex Traits

Location: Plant, Soil and Nutrition Research

Title: Understanding iron response mechanisms and carbon partitioning strategies in sorghum under Fe stress

Author
item BRAYNEN, JANEEN - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item KUMARI, SUNITA - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item CHOUGULE, KAPEEL - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item REGULSKI, MICHAEL - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item DOOLING, KATE - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item OLSON, CHRISTOPHER - Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
item BHAT, ADITI - Brookhaven National Laboratory
item TESESSE, DIMITRU - Brookhaven National Laboratory
item PAAPE, TIM - Texas A&M University Institute For Advancing Health Through Agriculture
item Ware, Doreen
item XIE, MENG - Brookhaven National Laboratory
item COOPER, ELIZABETH - David H Murdock Research Institute

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2025
Publication Date: 3/11/2025
Citation: Braynen, J., Kumari, S., Chougule, K., Regulski, M., Dooling, K., Olson, C., Bhat, A., Tesesse, D., Paape, T., Ware, D., Xie, M., Cooper, E. 2025. Understanding iron response mechanisms and carbon partitioning strategies in sorghum under Fe stress. Meeting Abstract. Network Biology Meeting.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Iron (Fe) is essential for photosynthesis, respiration, and chlorophyll production in plants. Its uptake relies on a coordinated network of transporters and chelators to optimize transport from soil to tissues while preventing toxic accumulation. This study investigates the effects of Fe limitation and excess on growth and resilience in four Sorghum Carbon Partitioning Nested Association Mapping (CP-NAM) populations (Grassl, Leoti, Pink Kafir, IS13633) and the reference genome (BTx623) under controlled hydroponic conditions. We employed RNA-seq to uncover gene expression patterns and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to quantify metal concentrations, revealing insights into micronutrient interactions and carbon allocation. Under Fe stress conditions (7 and 14 days), chlorosis was observed in all lines except Leoti, which maintained greenness in the majority of sampled plants. ICP-MS analysis highlighted variability in elements such as Ca44, S34, Na2, and B11, alongside significant differences in Fe54 concentrations. Notably, Leoti exhibited a slightly higher Fe concentration under low-iron conditions at 14 days, suggesting a unique iron-use response. Time-series RNA-seq data demonstrated distinct, temporal regulation of Fe-responsive genes. Both reduction-based (Strategy I) and chelation-based (Strategy II) iron uptake mechanisms showed treatment-dependent gene expression, supporting the hypothesis that sorghum employs a combined strategy for Fe acquisition and utilization. These findings provide a genetic framework for understanding micronutrient use efficiency and carbon partitioning under Fe stress. Insights from this study can inform targeted breeding strategies to enhance iron-use efficiency and carbon allocation in sorghum, ultimately improving crop resilience and productivity in Fe-deficient environments. This project was supported by the USDA-CRIS, award number 8062-21000-051-000D.