Manganese Efficiency in Barley: Identification and Characterization of the Metal Ion Transporter HvIRT11[OA]

Manganese (Mn) deficiency is an important plant nutritional disorder in many parts of the world. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes differ considerably in their ability to grow in soils with low Mn2+ availability. Differential genotypic Mn efficiency can be attributed to differences in Mn2+ uptake kinetics in the low nanomolar concentration range. However, the molecular basis for these differences has not yet been clarified. We present here the identification and characterization of the first barley gene encoding a plasma membrane-localized metal transport protein able to transport Mn2+. The gene is designated HvIRT1 (for IRON-REGULATED TRANSPORTER1) because it belongs to the ZIP gene family and has a high similarity to rice (Oryza sativa) OsIRT1. A novel yeast uptake assay based on inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis of 31 different metal and metalloid ions showed that the HvIRT1 protein, in addition to Mn2+, also transported Fe2+/Fe3+, Zn2+, and Cd2+. Both Mn and iron deficiency induced an up-regulation of HvIRT1 in two barley genotypes differing in Mn efficiency, but the expression levels in all cases were highest (up to 40%) in the Mn-efficient genotype. The higher expression of HvIRT1 correlated with an increased Mn2+ uptake rate. We conclude that HvIRT1 is an important component controlling Mn2+ uptake in barley roots and contributes to genotypic differences in Mn2+ uptake kinetics