{
  "abstract": "Mitochondrial complex I (CI) is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plant cells, and iron–sulfur (Fe-S) cluster proteins are critical for maintaining CI structure and electron transport. C1-FDX, a mitochondrion-localized ferredoxin containing a [2Fe-2S] cluster, acts as a structural component and assembly factor of mitochondrial CI and complex V (CV) in Arabidopsis. In this study, we further characterized the physiological and molecular functions of C1-FDX in regulating ROS production, NADH/NAD+ homeostasis, and iron metabolism. Histochemical staining demonstrated that loss of function of C1-FDX in Arabidopsis c1-fdx mutants accumulated excessive superoxide anions (O2•−) but exhibited reduced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) relative to the wild type (WT). Biochemical assays further confirmed that there was an elevated NADH/NAD+ ratio in mutant seedlings, which facilitated O2•− overproduction at mitochondrial CI. Loss of C1-FDX also led to Fe3+ accumulation in mutant tissues. Immunoblot and qRT-PCR results showed that the abundance of MnSOD markedly increased, while other antioxidant proteins, including FeSOD, CAT1, and GR, were downregulated in c1-fdx mutants of Arabidopsis. The enhanced MnSOD activity accelerated the conversion of O2•− into H2O2, and the subsequently accumulated Fe3+ may be derived from the Fenton reaction, which consumes H2O2, ultimately resulting in decreased H2O2 levels. Additionally, deficiency of C1-FDX disturbed the abundance of mitochondrial chaperones, proteases, and alternative respiratory pathway proteins. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that C1-FDX participates in the regulation of mitochondrial ROS balance and iron homeostasis and suggest there is a novel regulatory link between ferredoxin, the electron transport chain, and the Fenton reaction in plant mitochondria.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an 271018, China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Manna Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kexin Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tingting Wang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2463-9971"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Peiyi Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yue Xin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Baoyin Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5508-9941"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8fs7bz5vhpxdv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/ijms27209349",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "8fs7bz5vhpxdv",
  "issns": [
    "1422-0067"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9349",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Mitochondrial Function and Pathology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223174295",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8fs7bz5vhpxdv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/ijms27209349",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9349"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Mitochondrial Function and Pathology",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Mitochondrial C1-FDX Depletion Perturbs ROS Homeostasis and Iron Metabolism in Arabidopsis",
  "title_text": "Mitochondrial C1-FDX Depletion Perturbs ROS Homeostasis and Iron Metabolism in Arabidopsis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8fs7bz5vhpxdv",
  "venue": "International Journal of Molecular Sciences",
  "versions": []
}