Fe uptake mechanism in Fe-efficient cucumber roots

Fe-efficient plants respond to iron stress both by morphological and physiological modifications. In roots of a Fe-efficient plant (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in the presence or in the absence of iron, the capacity to acidify the external medium, change in the transmembrane electrical potential, and the ATPase activity have been determined. Roots from plants grown in the absence of iron showed a great capacity to acidify the external medium, a higher transmembrane electrical potential difference (−145 millivolts, versus −105 millivolts), and a higher ATPase activity (+30%). The administration of Fe2+, but not Fe3+, caused a block of the acidification capacity, a great decrease in the transmembrane electrical potential difference in root cells, and a large inhibition of the ATPase activity of isolated microsomal membrane vesicles.