Arabidopsis MEB3 functions as a vacuolar metal transporter to regulate iron accumulation in roots.

ABSTRACT: Iron is an essential nutrient for plant photosynthesis and development, but excess iron leads to stress. After absorption from the soil, plants store iron in roots and distribute it to shoots via long-distance transport. The vacuole is involved in iron storage and the maintenance of cellular iron homeostasis, and vacuolar iron transporter (VIT) family proteins have been identified as plant vacuolar iron transporters. However, the contribution of vacuolar iron transporters to overall iron homeostasis in plants is not fully understood. Here, we show that MEMBRANE PROTEIN OF ER BODY 3 (MEB3), a VIT family member, functions as a vacuolar metal transporter for iron distribution in Arabidopsis thaliana. Heterologous expression of Arabidopsis MEB3 in yeast vacuolar iron or zinc tran

SUBMITTER: Endo K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11922923 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature