Dynamics of coumarin uptake by plant roots to improve iron nutrition – DYNAFER

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plant productivity and the quality of their derived products. However, Fe is generally poorly available to plants because it is mainly present in the soil in the form of insoluble (hydr)oxydes. We and others have recently identified a novel mechanism involved in Fe acquisition by the plant that relies on the secretion in the soil of coumarin specialized metabolites, improving the Fe mining capacity of the plants. Results we have recently obtained allowed us to pinpoint that once secreted, coumarins are taken up by plant roots in the form of Fe-coumarin chelates, facilitating plant Fe nutrition. This process follows a complex and yet undescribed pathway involving various cell types and the activity of several proteins involved in their transport. Understanding the whole dynamics of coumarin uptake and partitioning into the plant cells is therefore the next challenge we need to address.