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PreprintCC BY-NDbioRxiv

FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED KELCH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (FDK1) links coumarin metabolism and iron homeostasis during alkaline iron deficiency in Arabidopsis

  • H.-J. Mai1
  • C. von der Mark
  • J. C. Lucas
  • L. Schnettger
  • M. C. Knopf
  • E. J. Stauber
  • M. Strieker
  • S. Metzger
  • V. Wewer
  • U. Wittstock
  • P. Bauer
  1. 1Institute of Botany, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
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Abstract

Although iron (Fe) is abundant in soils, its low solubility, particularly under alkaline conditions, often limits plant Fe acquisition. Under these conditions, coumarin-mediated Fe mobilization becomes increasingly important. Arabidopsis thaliana FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED KELCH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (FDK1, AT3G07720) is strongly induced by Fe deficiency and regulated by the central transcription factor FIT, but its function is unknown. We investigated FDK1 using genetic, physiological, metabolite, and transcriptomic analyses. Loss of FDK1 altered root growth, whereas this phenotype was restored in the FDK1-Ox overexpression line. Under alkaline Fe deficiency, growth medium from FDK1-Ox contained strongly increased levels of the Fe-mobilizing coumarins fraxetin and esculetin compared with wild type, whereas their induction was attenuated in fdk1-1. RNA-seq analysis linked FDK1 abundance to coumarin biosynthesis and iron-homeostasis gene expression. FIT and many FIT-associated genes were highly expressed in FDK1-Ox, whereas several upstream iron-homeostasis regulators, including bHLH Ib factors, were highest in fdk1-1. These findings identify FDK1 as a component of the alkaline Fe-deficiency response that promotes iron-mobilizing coumarin accumulation and is associated with coordinated regulation of iron-homeostasis genes.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{mai2026deficiencyinduced,
  title = {{FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED KELCH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (FDK1) links coumarin metabolism and iron homeostasis during alkaline iron deficiency in Arabidopsis}},
  author = {H.-J. Mai and C. von der Mark and J. C. Lucas and L. Schnettger and M. C. Knopf and E. J. Stauber and M. Strieker and S. Metzger and V. Wewer and U. Wittstock and P. Bauer},
  howpublished = {bioRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.10.08.757528},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.757528v1},
  note = {CC BY-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED KELCH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (FDK1) links coumarin metabolism and iron homeostasis during alkaline iron deficiency in Arabidopsis
AU  - H.-J. Mai
AU  - C. von der Mark
AU  - J. C. Lucas
AU  - L. Schnettger
AU  - M. C. Knopf
AU  - E. J. Stauber
AU  - M. Strieker
AU  - S. Metzger
AU  - V. Wewer
AU  - U. Wittstock
AU  - P. Bauer
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - bioRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.10.08.757528
UR  - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.757528v1
AB  - Although iron (Fe) is abundant in soils, its low solubility, particularly under alkaline conditions, often limits plant Fe acquisition. Under these conditions, coumarin-mediated Fe mobilization becomes increasingly important. Arabidopsis thaliana FE DEFICIENCY-INDUCED KELCH REPEAT PROTEIN 1 (FDK1, AT3G07720) is strongly induced by Fe deficiency and regulated by the central transcription factor FIT, but its function is unknown. We investigated FDK1 using genetic, physiological, metabolite, and transcriptomic analyses. Loss of FDK1 altered root growth, whereas this phenotype was restored in the FDK1-Ox overexpression line. Under alkaline Fe deficiency, growth medium from FDK1-Ox contained strongly increased levels of the Fe-mobilizing coumarins fraxetin and esculetin compared with wild type, whereas their induction was attenuated in fdk1-1. RNA-seq analysis linked FDK1 abundance to coumarin biosynthesis and iron-homeostasis gene expression. FIT and many FIT-associated genes were highly expressed in FDK1-Ox, whereas several upstream iron-homeostasis regulators, including bHLH Ib factors, were highest in fdk1-1. These findings identify FDK1 as a component of the alkaline Fe-deficiency response that promotes iron-mobilizing coumarin accumulation and is associated with coordinated regulation of iron-homeostasis genes.
ER  -