Application of X-ray fluorescence micro tomography: how and where iron is stored in plant seeds

A group of biologists led by Professor Guerinot (Dartmouth College, USA) has recently clarified that iron is stored in the developing vascular system of the seed of a plant called Arabidopsis. The group also found that this localization depends on a protein called VIT1, shown to transport iron to the vacuole. The experiments combined traditional mutant analysis (turning on and off the VIT1 protein) with an X-ray fluorescence micro tomography technique to obtain a map of where iron is stored in the seed. The results could help in the development of nutrient-rich seed, benefiting both human health and agricultural productivity, because iron deficiency is an area of concern in the issue of human nutrition. The experiments were done at Beamline X26A, National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven, USA. For more information, see the paper, "Localization of Iron in Arabidopsis Seed Requires the Vacuolar Membrane Transporter VIT1 ", S. A. Kim et al., Science, 314, 1295-1298 (2006).