Iron-sulfur proteins are a group of proteins containing iron-sulfur cluster (Fe-S cluster) as cofactors. These proteins play important roles in photosynthesis, respiration, and DNA repair. About 43 genes have been identified to be the Fe-S cluster assembly genes in Arabidopsis genome. As the most important crop in Asia, rice is vital for iron nutrition of population in Asia and developing countries, but the iron content in rice is relatively low. The Fe-S cluster assembly is rarely known for rice. Could our knowledge on the Fe-S cluster assembly be translated into the practice of rice breeding for higher yield or better tolerance to stress? Heavy metal pollution, iron and aluminum toxicity in the paddy rice wetland is increasingly a major challenge to the rice production. How does the Fe-S cluster assembly of rice respond to abiotic stresses?

Recently, a group involving graduate student LIANG XUEJIAO, assistant researcher Dr. QIN LU, lab assistant WANG MEIHUAN, and Professor YE HONG from the Plant Mineral Metabolism Lab, South China Botanical Garden, CAS, has identified 41 putative Fe-S cluster assembly genes in the rice (Oryza sativa) genome. They have analyzed the expression of every Fe-S cluster assembly gene in response to abiotic stresses, including heavy metals, iron deficiency, iron toxicity, and oxidative stress. Their results indicated that the rice genes for the Fe-S cluster assembly in chloroplasts and in roots are major targets of abiotic stress assault. The work also revealed a number of genes that are important in the regulation of cellular iron homeostasis and the response to abiotic stress.

This research entitled “ Genes for iron–sulphur cluster assembly are targets of abiotic stress in rice, Oryza sativa” has been published online in Plant Cell and Environment (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pce.12198/abstract). This work is funded by grants from the 100-Talent Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program 2013CB127102), Foundation of Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.