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About the Authors:
Stephen C. McDowell
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States of America
Garo Akmakjian
Affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, United States of America
Chris Sladek
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States of America
David Mendoza-Cozatl
Affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, United States of America
Joe B. Morrissey
Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
Nick Saini
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States of America
Ron Mittler
Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, United States of America
Ivan Baxter
Affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
David E. Salt
Affiliation: Institute of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
John M. Ward
Affiliation: Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
Julian I. Schroeder
Affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California, United States of America
Mary Lou Guerinot
Affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States of America
Jeffrey F. Harper
* E-mail: [email protected].
Affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States of America
Introduction
Ion homeostasis is a complex process that is essential to the health and survival of all organisms. While at least 14 mineral nutrients are essential for higher plants [1], they can also be toxic if present in excess. Most land plants obtain their mineral nutrients from the soil, with homeostasis involving the regulation of uptake, binding, transport and sequestration; each of which is controlled by a network of genes. The resulting elemental composition of a specific tissue or cell has been referred to as the ionome [2]–[4].
Large scale screens to identify ionomic mutants have been undertaken in yeast, A. thaliana and Lotus [5]–[8]. These studies have provided estimates that approximately 5% of the genome might be involved in ion homeostasis. Genetic variation controlling the leaf ionome has also been...