STUDIES ON SPATIO-TEMPORAL AND PHYTOHORMONAL EXPRESSION PATTERN OF MTP2 PROTEIN AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION ACROSS DIFFERENT PLANT SPECIES

Abstract

Zinc is an essential micronutrient involved in a wide range of physiological processes of plants (Marschner, 1993). Even though it is required for plant
growth, the excess amount of Zn causes toxic effects to plants. It is known that during Fe deficiency, the uptake of Zn is induced which leads to the accumulation of the excess amount of Zn in the plant cytoplasm. The plant has evolved an efficient mechanism in detoxifying the excess Zn uptake during Fe deficiency conditions, of which vacuoles are identified to be the main storage and detoxifying organelles for Zn excess in the cytoplasm (Gustin et al., 2009). Zinc is normally available to the plants in its oxidized form Zn2+ from the soil through the mass flow and diffusion mechanism by roots (Rattan and Deb, 1981). Availability of Zn is high in low acidic pH wherein the high pH reduces its availability in soil and the root plasma membrane transporters reported for major uptake of Zn from the soil (Marschner, 1993).