Regulation of Iron Uptake by IRT1: Endocytosis Pulls the Trigger

The past two decades of research on plant iron nutrition have completed the casting of the major transporters involved in iron uptake from the soil, long-distance transport, and intracellular distribution. Among these transporters, most of the attention was given to the root iron transporter IRT1, which plays a critical role in iron uptake from the soil and mediates transport of other non-iron metals (zinc, manganese, cobalt, cadmium) under iron-limiting conditions. As such, IRT1 is the primary determinant of iron and heavy metal homeostasis in plants.