Abstract: The maize yellow stripe1 gene encodes a transmembrane protein which mediates the uptake of chelated iron from soil. The gene is shown here to be upregulated, and protein production increased, under conditions of low iron bioavailability. The protein is also shown to be able to transport other metals as well, such as copper. The present invention also provides a family of Arabidopsis genes and gene products related to ys1 termed here as ys11-8. The invention provides the genes and their gene products as well as methods to create and use transgenic plants for the increased uptake of iron in nutritional crops as well as for the bioremediation of soil.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel plant organ-specific transcriptional promoter nucleic acid sequences, which regulate the expression of glutamine synthetase isoenzymes. Specifically, promoter sequences were isolated from the nuclear gene for chloroplast GS2 glutamine synthetase and from two nuclear genes for cytosolic GS3 glutamine synthetase in the pea plant, Pisum sativum. Accordingly, the present invention provides for the nucleic acid sequences of the GS2, GS3A and GS3B promoter sequences as well as functional portions thereof.The invention further provides for promoters homologous to GS2, GS3A and GS3B, or any portion thereof as well as gene fusions and transgenic plants in which genes that encode heterologous proteins are controlled by the promoter sequences of the invention.