Composition, speciation and distribution of iron minerals in Imperata cylindrica.

A comparative study of the roots, rhizomes and leaves of an iron hyperaccumulator plant, Imperata cylindrica, isolated from the banks of an extreme acidic environment, using complementary techniques: Mösbauer spectroscopy (MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDAX) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), has shown that two main biominerals, jarosite and ferrihydrate-ferritin, accumulate in the different tissues. Jarosite accumulates mainly in roots and rhizomes, while ferritin has been detected in all the structures. A model of iron management in I. cylindrica is presented.     

Juncus bulbosus as a pioneer species in acidic lignite mining lakes: interactions, mechanism and survival strategies

Bulbous rush ( Juncus bulbosus ) initiates plant colonization in extremely acid lakes resulting from coal mining operations. Various analytical techniques (methylene blue/agar method, Ti³⁺-citrate solution) X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used to assess the mechanisms and strategies employed by J. bulbosus to overcome the extreme conditions. The plant releases oxygen into the rhizosphere in turn increasing the redox potential and inducing iron oxide plaque formation. XRD showed that the iron oxide of the plaque is mainly goethite that has been developed in the presence of CO₂; SEM showed that there is a micro-space between the roots and sand grains which is inhabited by microorganisms. Furthermore, SEM-EDX studies on internal iron distribution demonstrate that iron toxicity is delayed by the physiological and biochemical structure of the plant. It is suggested that J. bulbosus uses a variety of mechanisms and strategies (morphological, physiological and biochemical adaptation) which are mainly complementary and which interact with each other to help J. bulbosus to manage its growth and survival in an extreme environment.     

Effect of ferritin overexpression in tobacco on the structure of bacterial and pseudomonad communities associated with the roots

The genetic structures of total bacterial and pseudomonad communities were characterized in rhizosphere soil and rhizoplane+root tissues of tobacco wild type and a ferritin overexpressor transgenic line (P6) by a cultivation-independent method using directly extracted DNA at the end of three consecutive plant cultures. The structure of total bacterial communities was characterized by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (A-RISA), and that of pseudomonad communities was characterized by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) from DNA amplified with specific primers. The structure of total bacterial communities was significantly modified in the rhizosphere soil by the overaccumulation of iron in the tobacco transgenic P6 line at the first culture, to a lesser extent at the second culture, and not at all at the third culture. No significant difference was recorded between the total communities associated with the roots (rhizoplane+root tissues) of the two plant genotypes in any of the cultures. In contrast, the difference in pseudomonad structure between the two plant genotypes increased with successive culture at the root level, but was not detected at a significant level in the rhizosphere soil. The impact of iron overaccumulation by the tobacco transgenic P6 line on pseudomonads supports previous findings on the importance of iron competition among fluorescent pseudomonads.     

Whole-plant mineral partitioning throughout the life cycle in Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes Columbia, Landsberg erecta, Cape Verde Islands, and the mutant line ysl1ysl3

Minimal information exists on whole-plant dynamics of mineral flow through Arabidopsis thaliana or on the source tissues responsible for mineral export to developing seeds. Understanding these phenomena in a model plant could help in the development of nutritionally enhanced crop cultivars. A whole-plant partitioning study, using sequential harvests, was conducted to characterize growth and mineral concentrations and contents of rosettes, cauline leaves, stems, immature fruit, mature fruit hulls, and seeds of three WT lines (Col-0, Ler, and Cvi) and one mutant line (Col-0::ysl1ysl3). Shoot mineral content increased throughout the life cycle for all minerals, although tissue-specific mineral partitioning differed between genotypes. In particular, iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) were aberrantly distributed in ysl1ysl3. Remobilization was observed for several minerals from various tissues, including cauline leaves and silique hulls, but the amounts were generally far below the total mineral accretion observed in seeds. When YSL1 and YSL3 are nonfunctional, Cu, Fe, and Zn are not effectively remobilized from, or do not effectively pass through, leaf and maternal fruit tissues. With respect to seed mineral accretion in Arabidopsis, continued uptake and translocation of minerals to source tissues during seed fill are as important, if not more important, than remobilization of previously stored minerals.     

Reductive Dissolution of Jarosite by Acidiphilium cryptum in Presence of Chelating Agents and Dissolved Iron

The mutual effects of Acidiphilium cryptum, nine ligands and dissolved iron on jarosite dissolution were studied in a 2³ full factorial experiment. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and oxalic acid were able to dissolve jarosite chemically, but bacterial action enhanced this dissolution; from 88 ± 1, 46 ± 0 and 36 ± 0 µmol/L d to 129 ± 3, 177 ± 5 and 106 ± 14 µmol/L d, respectively. Oxalate and NTA exhibited a synergistic effect with dissolved iron and bacteria that may be explained by a model in which iron complexes behave as redox mediators in the microbial respiration in which jarosite, a solid substrate, serves as terminal electron acceptor.     

Orientation Dependent MR Signal Decay Differentiates between People with MS,Their Asymptomatic Siblings and Unrelated Healthy Controls

R2* relaxometry of the brain is a quantitative magnetic resonance technique which is influenced by iron and myelin content across different brain regions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common inflammatory, demyelinating disease affecting both white and grey matter regions of the CNS. Using R2*, increased iron deposition has been described in deep gray matter of MS patients. Iron accumulation might promote oxidative stress in the brain, which can lead to cell death and neurodegeneration. However, recent histological work indicates that iron may be reduced within the normal appearing white matter (WM) in MS. In the present study we analyzed the R2* signal across the white matter in 39 patients with MS, 31 asymptomatic age matched siblings of patients and 30 age-matched controls. The measurement of R2* in white matter is affected by the signal''s dependency on white matter fibre orientation with respect to the main magnetic field which can be accounted using diffusion tensor imaging. We observed a clear separation of the three study groups in R2*. The values in the MS group were significantly lower compared to the siblings and controls, while the siblings group presented with significantly higher R2* values than both unrelated healthy controls and patients. Furthermore, we found significantly decreased normal-appearing white matter R2* values in patients with more severe disease course. Angle resolved analysis of R2* improves the sensitivity for detecting subtle differences in WM R2* compared to standard histogram based analyses. Our findings suggest that the decreased R2* values in MS are due to diffuse tissue damage and decreased myelin in the normal appearing and diffusely abnormal WM. The increased R2* in unaffected siblings may identify a predisposition to increased iron and the potential for oxidative stress as a risk factor for developing MS.     

Arsenic in Biogenic Iron Minerals from a Contaminated Environment

High arsenic levels have been found in some water samples from the Iron Quadrangle, a main gold, manganese and iron mining region in Brazil. In this work, we used transmission electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray analysis to show arsenic in bacteriogenic iron minerals (BIOS) collected in this region. Two types of iron bacteria stalks and several morphologically different filamentous sheaths of bacteria were found, most containing arsenic. Bacterial stalks were partially coated by spherical precipitates probably deposited after stalk secretion. Arsenic/iron ratios were the same independently of the amount of spherical precipitates, suggesting that arsenic incorporation is independent of bacterial metabolism. Additionally, arsenic seems to be saturated in these minerals, since the arsenic/iron ratio was the same under different arsenic concentrations.     

Iron plaques improve the oxygen supply to root meristems of the freshwater plant, Lobelia dortmanna

* High radial oxygen loss (ROL) from roots of aquatic plants to reduced sediments is thought to deplete the roots of oxygen and restrict the distribution of those species unable to form a barrier to oxygen loss. Metal precipitates with high iron content (Fe-plaques) frequently form on roots of aquatic plants and could create such a diffusion barrier, thereby diverting a larger proportion of downward oxygen transport to the root meristems. * To investigate whether Fe-plaques form a barrier to oxygen loss, ROL and internal oxygen concentrations were measured along the length of roots of the freshwater plant Lobelia dortmanna using platinum sleeve electrodes and Clark-type microelectrodes. * Measurements showed that ROL was indeed lower from roots with Fe-plaques than roots without plaques and that ROL declined gradually with thicker iron coating on roots. The low ROL was caused by low diffusion coefficients through root walls with Fe-plaques resulting in higher internal oxygen concentrations in the root lacunae. * By diverting a larger proportion of downward oxygen transport to root meristems in L. dortmanna, the presence of Fe-plaques should diminish root anoxia and improve survival in reduced sediments.     

微生物接种密度和矿物收集时间对生物沥浸中次生铁矿物形成的影响

在嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans作用下, 污泥生物沥浸体系中常会有次生铁矿物形成, 这些矿物对污泥脱水和重金属溶出有重要影响。在FeSO4-K2SO4-H2O生物成矾临界点模拟生物沥浸过程, 考察了Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans菌接种密度和矿物收集时间对次生铁矿物的影响。结果表明, 微生物接种密度和矿物收集时间对生物沥浸过程中次生铁矿物的重量及其类型均有一定影响, 随矿物收集时间的推迟, 溶液中含有的一价阳离子(如K+等)可导致施氏矿物向黄铁矾发生转变, 并成为影响铁矿物类型的主导因素。     

Preliminary characterization and biological reduction of putative biogenic iron oxides (BIOS) from the Tonga-Kermadec Arc, southwest Pacific Ocean

Sediment samples were obtained from areas of diffuse hydrothermal venting along the seabed in the Tonga sector of the Tonga‐Kermadec Arc, southwest Pacific Ocean. Sediments from Volcano 1 and Volcano 19 were analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and found to be composed primarily of the iron oxyhydroxide mineral, two‐line ferrihydrite. XRD also suggested the possible presence of minor amounts of more ordered iron (hydr)oxides (including six‐line ferrihydrite, goethite/lepidocrocite and magnetite) in the biogenic iron oxides (BIOS) from Volcano 1; however, Mössbauer spectroscopy failed to detect any mineral phases more crystalline than two‐line ferrihydrite. The minerals were precipitated on the surfaces of abundant filamentous microbial structures. Morphologically, some of these structures were similar in appearance to the known iron‐oxidizing genus Mariprofundus spp., suggesting that the sediments are composed of biogenic iron oxides. At Volcano 19, an areally extensive, active vent field, the microbial cells appeared to be responsible for the formation of cohesive chimney‐like structures of iron oxyhydroxide, 2–3 m in height, whereas at Volcano 1, an older vent field, no chimney‐like structures were apparent. Iron reduction of the sediment material (i.e. BIOS) by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was measured, in vitro, as the ratio of [total Fe(II)]:[total Fe]. From this parameter, reduction rates were calculated for Volcano 1 BIOS (0.0521 day^?1), Volcano 19 BIOS (0.0473 day^?1), and hydrous ferric oxide, a synthetic two‐line ferrihydrite (0.0224 day^?1). Sediments from both BIOS sites were more easily reduced than synthetic ferrihydrite, which suggests that the decrease in effective surface area of the minerals within the sediments (due to the presence of the organic component) does not inhibit subsequent microbial reduction. These results indicate that natural, marine BIOS are easily reduced in the presence of dissimilatory iron‐reducing bacteria, and that the use of common synthetic iron minerals to model their reduction may lead to a significant underestimation of their biological reactivity.     

Bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron at low temperatures

This study comprises the first report of ferrous iron oxidation by psychrotolerant, acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria capable of growing at 5 degrees C. Samples of mine drainage-impacted surface soils and sediments from the Norilsk mining region (Taimyr, Siberia) and Kristineberg (Skellefte district, Sweden) were inoculated into acidic ferrous sulfate media and incubated at 5 degrees C. Iron oxidation was preceded by an approximately 3-month lag period that was reduced in subsequent cultures. Three enrichment cultures were chosen for further work and one culture designated as isolate SS3 was purified by colony isolation from a Norilsk enrichment culture for determining the kinetics of iron oxidation. The 16S rRNA based phylogeny of SS3 and two other psychrotolerant cultures, SS5 from Norilsk and SK5 from Northern Sweden, was determined. Comparative analysis of amplified 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the psychrotolerant cultures aligned within Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The rate constant of iron oxidation by growing cultures of SS3 was in the range of 0.0162-0.0104 h(-1) depending on the initial pH. The oxidation kinetics followed an exponential pattern, consistent with a first order rate expression. Parallel iron oxidation by a mesophilic reference culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was extremely slow and linear. Precipitates harvested from the 5 degrees C culture were identified by X-ray diffraction as mixtures of schwertmannite (ideal formula Fe(8)O(8)(OH)(6)SO(4)) and jarosite (KFe(3)(SO(4))(2)(OH)(6)). Jarosite was much more dominant in precipitates produced at 30 degrees C.     

Crystal structures of two mutants (K206Q, H207E) of the N-lobe of human transferrin with increased affinity for iron

The X-ray crystallographic structures of two mutants (K206Q and H207E) of the N-lobe of human transferrin (hTF/2N) have been determined to high resolution (1.8 and 2.0 A, respectively). Both mutant proteins bind iron with greater affinity than native hTF/2N. The structures of the K206Q and H207E mutants show interactions (both H-bonding and electrostatic) that stabilize the interaction of Lys296 in the closed conformation, thereby stabilizing the iron bound forms.     

Nicotianamine: mediator of transport of iron and heavy metals in the phloem?

Recent work has demonstrated that minerals in plants are circulated between root and shoot. This occurs during the whole life time and renders possible response to changing environmental conditions. This mineral circulation occurs through intensive solute exchange between xylem and phloem in roots, stems, and leaves. The transport form of heavy metals such as iron, manganes, zinc and copper in the phloem, whether ionic or chelated, is unclear in most cases.
The unusual amino acid nicotianamine (NA) is ubiquitous throughout the plant kingdom. It is a chelator of several divalent transition metals. Its physiological role was investigated with the tomato mutant chloronerva, the only known NA-free multicellular plant. The mutant also exhibits disturbances of its iron metabolism and that of other heavy metals. This leads, among others, to a typical intercostal chlorosis and progressive iron accumulation in the leaves. From the heavy metal chelating properties of NA and from the phenotype of the mutant chloronerva it is concluded that NA is needed for normal distribution of heavy metals in young growing tissues fed via the phloem. This function could be fulfilled by mediating phloem loading or unloading of heavy metals as well as by preventing their precipitation in the alkaline phloem sap. An attempt is made to explain the chloronerva phenotype in the light of the phloem transport hypothesis of chelated iron.     

Efficient Reduction of Iron Oxides by Paenibacillus spp. Strains Isolated from Tropical Soils

The genus Paenibacillus was hardly described as a Fe(III)-reducing agent, only limited to reduce soluble forms or Fe inserted in poorly crystallized structures. In this study, three Paenibacillus strains capable of reducing manganese oxides in addition to iron oxides were isolated from Cameroonian and Brazilian soils. These strains reduced iron minerals from poorly crystallized 2-line ferrihydrite to well-crystallized Al-substituted and pure goethite with a significant production of soluble ferrous iron. These Paenibacillus strains, inhabitants from ferralitic temporarily waterlogged soils, could play an important role in the bioweathering of minerals and metal mobility in soils.     

海南昌江石碌铁矿尾矿库区植被调查

实验开展了3个不同年代的海南石碌铁尾矿库区植被调查研究,根据记录数据计算了各样地物种的重要值、物种多样性指数和均匀度等。结果表明,铁尾矿库区内植物种类总体上来看较为稀少,不同尾矿库区内植物群落组成成分差异比较大。已经停止使用20a的尾矿区（样地1）内,自然定居的植物仅有44种,其中禾本科植物种类较多,其次为豆科植物和莎草科植物,表明这3个科的植物种类较其它科植物更容易适应这种环境,特别是禾本科的水竹（Phragmites karka）、雀稗（Paspalum commersonii）和豆科的田菁（Sesbaniacannabina）表现出较强的适应能力;刚停止使用2a的尾矿库区（样地2）内,自然定居的植物有21种,其中硬骨草（Panicum repens）、斑茅（Saccharum arundinaceum）和芒（Miscanthussinensis）等禾本科植物为该样地的优势种群;正在使用的尾矿库区（样地3）内物种单一,只有水竹（Pyllosacys karka）、芒（Miscanthus sinensis）和田菁（Sesbaniacannabina）三种植物能在该恶劣的生境中顽强地生长和发育,表现出极强的适应能力。结果还表明了3个不同年代库区的植物群落的组成与结构存在明显的演替顺序差异,样地3单种优势明显,从样地3到样地1,这种优势依次减弱,物种多样性指数也依次增加,这表现出由较少先锋物种种类组成的简单群落向稳定复杂群落方向演替的趋势,反映了植物群落结构随演替时间的延长越来越趋向复杂化。在同一个尾矿库区内土壤的不同水分含量和理化性质会对植物的定居与群落的组成关系密切。     

Intra- and intercellular iron trafficking and subcellular compartmentation within roots

Iron is abundant in most soils, but ferric compounds are almost insoluble. Therefore, plant roots use as tools acidification and enzymatic reduction of iron at the outer cell surface (strategy I) or solubilization by phytosiderophores, which are specific ferric chelators (strategy II). In the first case, iron is taken up as Fe²⁺ into the root symplast, and in the latter one, iron is taken up as Fe(III) complex. The path of iron from the root surface, up to the point of the xylem vessels within the central cylinder, may be completely symplasmic. However, a part of this route also may be an apoplasmic one, through the free space of the cell walls of rhizodermis and cortex (apoplast). In the endodermis, the Casparian band forms a strict barrier for apoplasmic transport; to move past this site, all ions must enter the symplast. During symplasmic transport, the intracellular environment is protected against the reactive species of iron by handling of iron in chelated forms. A promising candidate for this purpose is the plant-endogenous chelator nicotianamine. At the apoplasmic site, iron can be oxidized followed by precipitation as hydroxide or phosphate compounds. Thus, a pool of apoplastic iron can be formed, as shown by reductive mobilization or by proton-induced X-ray emission. This pool may be remobilized when iron deficiency takes place. During radial transport to the vessels, vacuoles may compete with the transport stream forming an iron store. When there is an iron excess, as in plants growing in waterlogged soils or by experimental techniques, plants can escape the deleterious effects of free iron by depositing it in phytoferritin, a storage protein inducible under iron excess. Also, nicotianamine forms a pool of metabolically available iron. Thus, in roots cells of the nicotianamine-free tomato mutant chloronerva iron precipitations occur as evidenced by energy dispersive X-ray analysis and the electron microscopic energy loss technique of energy spectroscopic imaging. Future research concerning the plant root's iron metabolism are needed to clarify the function of nicotianamine in intra- and intercellular iron trafficking and to identify the so-called iron-sensor which mediates the regulation of iron acquisition reactions of rhizodermal cells in response to the iron nutritional status of the plant.     

Epigenetic regulation of iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis

Iron (Fe) is one of the most important microelement required for plant growth and development because of its unique property of catalyzing oxidation/reduction reactions. Iron deficiency impairs fundamental processes which could lead to a decrease in chlorophyll production and pollen fertility, thus influencing crop productivity and quality. However, iron in excess is toxic to the cell and is harmful to the plant. To exactly control the iron content in all tissues, plants have evolved many strategies to regulate iron homeostasis, which refers to 2 successive steps: iron uptake at the root surface, and iron distribution in vivo. In the last decades, a number of transporters and regulatory factors involved in this process have been isolated and identified. To cope with the complicated flexible environmental conditions, plants apply diverse mechanisms to regulate the expression and activity of these components. One of the most important mechanisms is epigenetic regulation of iron homeostasis. This review has been presented to provide an update on the information supporting the involvement of histone modifications in iron homeostasis and possible future course of the field.     

Alterations of iron distribution in Arabidopsis tissues infected by Dickeya dadantii

Dickeya dadantii is a plant‐pathogenic enterobacterium responsible for plant soft rot disease in a wide range of hosts, including the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Iron distribution in infected A. thaliana was investigated at the cellular scale using the Perls'–diaminobenzidine–H₂O₂ (PDH) method. Iron visualization during infection reveals a loss of iron from cellular compartments and plant cell walls. During symptom progression, two distinct zones are clearly visible: a macerated zone displaying weak iron content and a healthy zone displaying strong iron content. Immunolabelling of cell wall methylated pectin shows that pectin degradation is correlated with iron release from cell walls, indicating a strong relationship between cell wall integrity and iron in plant tissues. Using a D. dadantii lipopolysaccharide antibody, we show that bacteria are restricted to the infected tissue, and that they accumulate iron in planta. In conclusion, weak iron content is strictly correlated with bacterial cell localization in the infected tissues, indicating a crucial role of this element during the interaction. This is the first report of iron localization at the cellular level during a plant–microbe interaction and shows that PDH is a method of choice in this type of investigation.     

Comparison of serum iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, and percent transferrin saturation in nine species of apparently healthy captive lemurs

Lemurs kept in captivity have been reported to be highly prone to accumulate excessive amounts of iron in tissues (hemosiderosis). Diagnosis of the condition is most commonly made during a postmortem examination because an antemortem diagnosis requires a liver biopsy, a procedure that may not be well tolerated by all animals. The lack of a noninvasive method to evaluate iron status in captive lemurs limits investigators' ability to effectively screen animals for the presence of hemosiderosis, and to detect the condition early when treatment protocols are most effective. This study was conducted in an effort to provide data regarding iron analyte values in healthy captive lemurs of multiple species. The relationship of various iron-related metabolites was evaluated in 177 clinically normal lemurs of nine different species. Serum iron (sI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), and ferritin concentration were measured directly and the percent transferrin saturation (TS) was calculated. Significant differences in various iron metabolites were observed among several species, suggesting that normal reference values for iron metabolites in lemurs may need to be developed on a species by species basis.     

Mineral Resource Availability and Consumption by Colobus in Kibale National Park,Uganda

Very little information exists on mineral nutrition of tropical, forest-dwelling species, yet minerals are critical to growth, reproduction, and survival. We examined the mineral resources available to and consumed by colobus in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We combined behavioral data on black-and-white (Colobus guereza) and red colobus (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) in a section of unlogged forest, a heavily logged area, and a forest fragment with mineral analysis of their foods to estimate the proportion of the diet containing specific minerals (mineral content). We compared mineral content of colobus foods (natural and crops) across plant parts and among plant species. Additionally, we estimated mineral intake of frugivorous primates in Kibale from published dietary data and our estimates of mineral content of foods. Dietary mineral content for all colobus groups and frugivorous species is similar despite significant differences in the mineral content of foods. Ripe and unripe fruits are lower in mineral content than most foods. Foods rarely consumed, such as bark, petioles, and caterpillars have high levels of some minerals. The mineral content of crops is low in comparison to that ofnatural foods. For all colobus groups of both species, sodium content of foods was extremely low and iron content was generally low, suggesting that intake isbelow suggested requirements, though current suggested iron requirements may overestimate physiological needs. Copper content was marginal and deficient seasonally for most colobus groups. Despite a sodium-limiting environment, only one of 8 colobus groups appeared to select sodium; however, this may be due to a lack of variation in sodium content among plant species and a positive correlation between high plant sodium content and secondary compounds. Despite the lack of selection for sodium by colobines, some behaviors point to a potential sodium deficiency, including urine drinking, consumption of high-sodium swamp plants, and use of mud-puddles.