IRT1 — Oryza sativa Japonica

Summary

Os03g0667300, designated IRT2 and also known as IRT1, OsZIP3, OsZIP5, OsZIP7, OsZIP10, ZIP3, ZIP5, ZIP7, and ZIP10, encodes a member of the ZIP family of metal transporters. The protein exhibits transmembrane transporter activity for copper, zinc, manganese, iron, and cadmium ions, and also binds phosphoinositides, ubiquitin, mRNA, and proteins. In rice, IRT2 is associated with iron uptake, cadmium response, and transporter activity in roots, grain, mitochondria, and ethylene signaling. The gene is linked to numerous traits including seedling height, iron and zinc content, grain filling, cadmium concentration, grain size and weight, harvest index, protein and amylose content, root length, plant height, grain yield, and salt tolerance. It is also associated with iron and zinc homeostasis, cadmium detoxification, biomass production, chlorophyll content, photosynthetic efficiency, disease resistance, and chloroplast and root development. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to iron acquisition, cadmium uptake, and metal accumulation.