Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2025, Vol. 60 ›› Issue (4): 499-514.DOI: 10.11983/CBB24103  cstr: 32102.14.CBB24103

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Research Progress on the Iron-sulfur Cluster Synthesis System and Regulation in Plant Mitochondria

Tao Xie, Yifan Zhang, Yunhui Liu, Huiyu You, Jibenben Xia, Rong Ma, Chunni Zhang, Xuejun Hua*()   

  1. School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
  • Received:2024-07-13 Accepted:2024-10-14 Online:2025-07-10 Published:2024-10-16
  • Contact: Xuejun Hua

Abstract: Iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters, which act as cofactors for iron-sulfur proteins, are ubiquitously implicated in a diverse array of biological processes, such as photosynthesis, respiration, electron transport, and the biosynthesis of essential vitamins and cofactors. Their intracellular biogenesis is modulated by a suite of proteins that catalyze and regulate the process, with compartmentalization occurring within discrete subcellular compartments. Mitochondria, as the central organelles for cellular energy metabolism, harbor numerous key metabolic enzymes that are iron-sulfur proteins, necessitating the provision of iron-sulfur clusters by the mitochondrial assembly machinery, the iron-sulfur cluster (ISC). Advancements in research, particularly from bacteria and yeast systems, have facilitated significant strides in the identification and functional characterization of pivotal catalytic and regulatory proteins within the plant mitochondrial ISC system. Additionally, considerable progress has been made in the research of the role in iron-sulfur clusters in the plant growth and development. The elucidation of plant-specific components within the iron-sulfur cluster synthesis machinery and the mechanisms by which this system responds to environmental stress are areas of growing interest. This manuscript provides a comprehensive review of the current state of research on the mechanism of iron-sulfur cluster synthesis in plants, with a particular focus on the mitochondrial ISC assembly system. It also provides a succinct synopsis of the role of key genes within the ISC system in plant growth and development, as well as their involvement in the response to abiotic stressors.

Key words: iron-sulfur clusters, mitochondria, ISC system, plants, stress response