FER — Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary

AT3G51550, known as FER (FERONIA), encodes a protein with a malectin-like domain and protein serine/threonine kinase activity, localizing to the filiform apparatus, apoplast, and apical plasma membrane. In Arabidopsis, FER is associated with cell recognition, synergid death, pollen hydration, lateral root branching, vacuolar acidification, TOR signaling, and cell adhesion. It has been linked to traits including seed weight, shoot fresh weight, root hair length, lateral root length, net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, starch content, iron and cadmium concentration, sodium uptake, salt response, brassinosteroid and ethylene sensitivity, lignin biosynthesis, and wheat powdery mildew disease response. Studies of related genes in other species connect the FER family to iron homeostasis, disease resistance, and alkaloid biosynthesis.