FER1 — Cicer arietinum

Summary

GmFER1 (FER1) on chickpea chromosome 14 encodes a ferritin protein with ferroxidase activity, binding ferric and ferrous iron. The gene is associated with cellular and multicellular iron ion homeostasis, iron transport, and response to oxidative stress. It has been linked to nitrogen fixation, photorespiration, chlorophyll breakdown, hormone anabolism, and detoxification. Associations with traits include iron content and concentration, photosynthetic rate, lateral root number and length, root length, leaf senescence, and disease tolerance. Phenotype associations include decreased leaf growth, impaired flower development, defective iron transport, decreased cold and salt stress tolerance, altered meristem size, lateral root density, zinc accumulation, and seed iron accumulation. The protein localises to the cytoplasm, thylakoid, chloroplast thylakoid membrane and stroma, plasmalemma, and mitochondria. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to iron homeostasis, storage, deficiency and phosphate starvation responses, disease resistance, lateral root emergence, and dark-induced and natural senescence.