*Article* **Gene Expression Pattern of Vacuolar-Iron Transporter-Like (VTL) Genes in Hexaploid Wheat during Metal Stress**

**Shivani Sharma 1,2, Gazaldeep Kaur 1, Anil Kumar 1, Varsha Meena 1, Hasthi Ram 1, Jaspreet Kaur 2 and Ajay Kumar Pandey 1,\***


Received: 29 November 2019; Accepted: 31 January 2020; Published: 11 February 2020

**Abstract:** Iron is one of the important micronutrients that is required for crop productivity and yield-related traits. To address the Fe homeostasis in crop plants, multiple transporters belonging to the category of major facilitator superfamily are being explored. In this direction, earlier vacuolar iron transporters (VITs) have been reported and characterized functionally to address biofortification in cereal crops. In the present study, the identification and characterization of new members of vacuolar iron transporter-like proteins (VTL) was performed in wheat. Phylogenetic distribution demonstrated distinct clustering of the identified *VTL* genes from the previously known *VIT* genes. Our analysis identifies multiple *VTL* genes from hexaploid wheat with the highest number genes localized on chromosome 2. Quantitative expression analysis suggests that most of the *VTL* genes are induced mostly during the Fe surplus condition, thereby reinforcing their role in metal homeostasis. Interestingly, most of the wheat *VTL* genes were also significantly up-regulated in a tissue-specific manner under Zn, Mn and Cu deficiency. Although, no significant changes in expression of wheat *VTL* genes were observed in roots under heavy metals, but *TaVTL2*, *TaVTL3* and *TaVTL5* were upregulated in the presence of cobalt stress. Overall, this work deals with the detailed characterization of wheat *VTL* genes that could provide an important genetic framework for addressing metal homeostasis in bread wheat.

**Keywords:** micronutrient uptake; *Triticum aestivum* L.; Zinc transport; biofortification; Iron deficiency
