Iron is an essential micronutrient for living organisms due to its role  as a cofactor for proteins in photosynthesis and respiration.  Despite  its critical role, soluble iron is present at low concentrations in  seawater, making iron uptake and storage mechanisms necessary for marine  life.  Uptake and storage mechanisms have been studied in vascular  plants and can be separated into two categories.  Strategy I uptake  involves cell surface reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II), and transport of  Fe(II) into the cell.  Strategy II uptake involves the secretion of  organic ligands called phytosiderophores, which bind extracellular  Fe(III) and are then transported into the cell.  Conversely, relatively  little is known about iron uptake in simpler photosynthetic marine  algae.  Using a combination of radioactive iron uptake experiments,  M�ssbauer and XAS spectroscopies, and ICP-MS, iron uptake and storage  mechanisms were investigated in the photosynthetic green microalga Tetraselmis suecica and are discussed here.

Iron transport and storage in the marine green alga:<i> Tetraselmis suecica</i>

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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Iron transport and storage in the marine green alga: Tetraselmis suecica