Global identification of metal ion transporters in chickpea and delineating the role of CaYSL4 in orchestrating iron content.

Metal ion transporters (MITs) are vital to maintain proper metal homeostasis during growth and development of plants thereby necessitating their identification and characterization. Considering the economic importance of chickpea in human nutrition, the molecular behaviour and biological functions of the metal ion transporters (MIT) encoding gene families remains highly relevant in recent times. Global identification of MITs revealed a total of 12 CAXs, 6 CTRs, 11 MGTs, 15 MTPs, 9 NRAMPs, 16 OPTs, and 14 ZIPs responsible for metal ion transport. Assessment of phylogenetic relationships, chromosomal distribution, gene structure and motif analysis of MITs suggested their diverse functions. The yellow stripe-like (YSL) family of transporters is an important family whose members have been suggested to have a role in metal ion translocation and assimilation. Expression analysis of key YSLs including CaYSL1, CaYSL4, CaYSL6 and CaYSL16 indicated their significant involvement in conferring tolerance to Fe starvation. Notable was the expression of CaYSL4 that showed specific expression in flower, leaf, shoot, seed at 30 DAA and 40DAA after 7 and 10 day of Fe-deficiency treatment. It was found to be localized in the plasma membrane. RNAi-mediated silencing of CaYSL4 demonstrated its critical role in orchestrating Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn translocation in chickpea seeds. Collectively, the comprehensive analysis of MITs coupled with the functional role of CaYSL4 provides critical insight into the complex regulation of Fe ion transport and distribution that will enable breeding of nutritionally enhanced chickpea varieties.