Iron Transport across Symbiotic Membranes of Nitrogen-Fixing Legumes

Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Jan 4;22(1):432. doi: 10.3390/ijms22010432.

Abstract

Iron is an essential nutrient for the legume-rhizobia symbiosis and nitrogen-fixing bacteroids within root nodules of legumes have a very high demand for the metal. Within the infected cells of nodules, the bacteroids are surrounded by a plant membrane to form an organelle-like structure called the symbiosome. In this review, we focus on how iron is transported across the symbiosome membrane and accessed by the bacteroids.

Keywords: iron; legumes; nitrogen fixation; symbiosomes.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacteroides / physiology*
  • Biological Transport
  • Fabaceae / metabolism*
  • Fabaceae / microbiology
  • Iron / metabolism*
  • Nitrogen / metabolism*
  • Nitrogen Fixation
  • Organelles / metabolism*
  • Organelles / microbiology
  • Plant Proteins / metabolism*
  • Root Nodules, Plant / metabolism
  • Root Nodules, Plant / microbiology
  • Symbiosis*

Substances

  • Plant Proteins
  • Iron
  • Nitrogen