About

Olena Vatamaniuk is a Professor in the Plant Biology Section at the School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University. Her research focuses on mineral ion homeostasis and heavy metal detoxification in plants. The lab investigates the mechanisms by which plants regulate essential mineral ions and detoxify harmful heavy metals, contributing to plant resilience and adaptation. Professor Vatamaniuk leads a diverse group of researchers including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate researchers, fostering a collaborative environment for advancing knowledge in plant mineral nutrition and stress physiology. Her mentorship has supported numerous alumni who have progressed to academic and research positions worldwide, reflecting her commitment to training the next generation of plant scientists.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Cell biology
• Genetics
• Agronomy
• Mathematics

Selected publications

• CITF1 interacts with FIT and regulates copper–iron crosstalk in Arabidopsis

  The Plant Cell · 2026-04-15

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) are essential yet potentially toxic metals with interconnected metabolic pathways; however, the mechanisms underlying Fe-Cu crosstalk remain poorly defined. Here, we show that CITF1 (COPPER DEFICIENCY INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 1), a Cu homeostasis regulator in Arabidopsis thaliana, physically interacts with FIT (FER-LIKE IRON DEFICIENCY-INDUCED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR), the central Fe homeostasis regulator, forming a nutrient-responsive transcriptional module. Under Cu deficiency, the CITF1-FIT complex accumulates and promotes expression of the Cu uptake genes COPT2 (COPPER TRANSPORTER 2), FRO4 (FERRIC REDUCTION OXIDASE 4), and FRO5 (FERRIC REDUCTION OXIDASE 5). Proteasome-dependent degradation regulates CITF1 and FIT stability, with Cu deficiency delaying their turnover in a CITF1-dependent manner. Under Fe deficiency, CITF1 expression is downregulated, allowing FIT to interact with bHLH38/39/100/101 partners and activate Fe uptake genes, as CITF1 disrupts these interactions. Thus, CITF1 negatively regulates Fe acquisition. Consistent with this, citf1-1 and citf1-2 mutants show reduced sensitivity to Fe deficiency. Under Cu deficiency, the citf1-2 and fit-2 mutants have additive effects and under Fe deficiency, the double mutant shows partial suppression of the fit-2 slow growth phenotype, supporting the positive and negative roles of CITF1 in Cu and Fe homeostasis, respectively. Complete loss of CITF1 function in the homozygous citf1-1 fit-2 double mutant causes embryo lethality, revealing roles for CITF1 and FIT in embryo development. These findings establish CITF1 as a nutrient-responsive regulator of Cu/Fe crosstalk, functioning through interactions with FIT to prioritize Cu or Fe acquisition and balance micronutrient homeostasis.

  PublisherDOI

• Copper connections: coordinating transport, sensing and systemic signalling in plants

  Quantitative Plant Biology · 2025-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Copper is an essential micronutrient that plays critical roles in plant metabolism, development and stress responses through its unique redox properties. While tightly regulated to prevent toxicity, labile copper also functions as a dynamic signalling molecule mediating developmental and environmental cues. Copper bioavailability in soils is influenced by complex physicochemical factors, posing challenges for plant acquisition and homeostasis. Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to regulate copper uptake, long-distance transport, intracellular trafficking and storage, balancing its essentiality with potential toxicity. This review summarizes current knowledge on copper homeostasis in plants, discusses uptake strategies in dicots and non-grass monocots, the coordination of internal copper transport and tissue distribution, and the emerging evidence for systemic copper signalling. Understanding these processes is important for improving crop nutrient use efficiency and resilience in mineral-deficient soils.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Author comment: Copper connections: coordinating transport, sensing and systemic signalling in plants — R1/PR6

  2025-10-09

  peer-reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Copper is an essential micronutrient that plays critical roles in plant metabolism, development and stress responses through its unique redox properties. While tightly regulated to prevent toxicity, labile copper also functions as a dynamic signalling molecule mediating developmental and environmental cues. Copper bioavailability in soils is influenced by complex physicochemical factors, posing challenges for plant acquisition and homeostasis. Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to regulate copper uptake, long-distance transport, intracellular trafficking and storage, balancing its essentiality with potential toxicity. This review summarizes current knowledge on copper homeostasis in plants, discusses uptake strategies in dicots and non-grass monocots, the coordination of internal copper transport and tissue distribution, and the emerging evidence for systemic copper signalling. Understanding these processes is important for improving crop nutrient use efficiency and resilience in mineral-deficient soils.

  PublisherDOI

• Author comment: Copper connections: coordinating transport, sensing and systemic signalling in plants — R0/PR1

  2025-06-26

  peer-review1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• XLEAP: An x-ray fluorescence and spectroscopy microfocus beamline at CHESS for life sciences, environmental sciences, plant sciences, and agriculture research

  2025-01-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Shall we talk? New details in crosstalk between copper and iron homeostasis uncovered in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>

  New Phytologist · 2024-02-13 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  This article is a Commentary on Cai et al . (2024), 242 : 1206–1217 .

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biggest of tinies: natural variation in seed size and mineral distribution in the ancient crop tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]

  Frontiers in Plant Science · 2024-12-12 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Tef [ Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter] is the major staple crop for millions of people in Ethiopia and Eritrea and is believed to have been domesticated several thousand years ago. Tef has the smallest grains of all the cereals, which directly impacts its productivity and presents numerous challenges to its cultivation. In this study, we assessed the natural variation in seed size of 189 tef and 11 accessions of its wild progenitor Indian lovegrass ( Eragrostis pilosa (L.) P. Beauv.) and explored the mineral distribution of representative accessions. Our findings revealed significant natural variation in seed size and mineral concentration among both the tef and E. pilosa accessions. We observed significant variation in seed length, seed width, and seed area among the accessions of both Eragrostis spp. we analyzed. Using representative accessions of both species, we also found significant variation in 1000-grain weight. The observed variation in seed size attributes prompted us to use comparative genomics to identify seed size regulating genes based on the well-studied and closely related monocot cereal rice [ Oryza sativa (L.)]. Using this approach, we identified putative orthologous genes in the tef genome that belong to a number of key pathways known to regulate seed size in rice. Phylogenetic analysis of putative tef orthologs of ubiquitin-proteasome, G-protein, MAPK, and brassinosteroid (BR)-family genes indicate significant similarity to seed size regulating genes in rice and other cereals. Because tef is known to be more nutrient-dense than other more common cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize, we also studied the mineral concentration of selected accessions using ICP-OES and explored their distribution within the seeds using synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microscopy. The findings showed significant variation in seed mineral concentration and mineral distribution among the selected accessions of both Eragrostis spp. This study highlights the natural variation in seed size attributes, mineral concentration, and distribution, while establishing the basis for understanding the genetic mechanisms regulating these traits. We hope our findings will lead to a better understanding of the evolution of tef at the genetic level and for the development of elite tef cultivars to improve seed size, yield, and quality of the grains.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cadmium alters whole animal ionome and promotes the re-distribution of iron in intestinal cells of Caenorhabditis elegans

  Frontiers in Physiology · 2023-09-26 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  The chronic exposure of humans to the toxic metal cadmium (Cd), either occupational or from food and air, causes various diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions, dysfunction of vital organs, and cancer. While the toxicology of Cd and its effect on the homeostasis of biologically relevant elements is increasingly recognized, the spatial distribution of Cd and other elements in Cd toxicity-caused diseases is still poorly understood. Here, we use Caenorhabditis elegans as a non-mammalian multicellular model system to determine the distribution of Cd at the tissue and cellular resolution and its effect on the internal levels and the distribution of biologically relevant elements. Using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrophotometry (ICP-MS), we show that exposure of worms to Cd not only led to its internal accumulation but also significantly altered the C. elegans ionome. Specifically, Cd treatment was associated with increased levels of toxic elements such as arsenic (As) and rubidium (Rb) and a decreased accumulation of essential elements such as zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), cobalt (Co) and, depending on the Cd-concentration used in the assay, iron (Fe). We regarded these changes as an ionomic signature of Cd toxicity in C. elegans . We also show that supplementing nematode growth medium with Zn but not Cu, rescues Cd toxicity and that mutant worms lacking Zn transporters CDF-1 or SUR-7, or both are more sensitive to Cd toxicity. Finally, using synchrotron X-Ray fluorescence Microscopy (XRF), we showed that Cd significantly alters the spatial distribution of mineral elements. The effect of Cd on the distribution of Fe was particularly striking: while Fe was evenly distributed in intestinal cells of worms grown without Cd, in the presence of Cd, Fe, and Cd co-localized in punctum-like structures in the intestinal cells. Together, this study advances our understanding of the effect of Cd on the accumulation and distribution of biologically relevant elements. Considering that C. elegans possesses the principal tissues and cell types as humans, our data may have important implications for future therapeutic developments aiming to alleviate Cd-related pathologies in humans.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Synchrotron science for sustainability: life cycle of metals in the environment

  Metallomics · 2023-06-27 · 5 citations

  articleSenior author

  The movement of metals through the environment links together a wide range of scientific fields: from earth sciences and geology as weathering releases minerals; to environmental sciences as metals are mobilized and transformed, cycling through soil and water; to biology as living things take up metals from their surroundings. Studies of these fundamental processes all require quantitative analysis of metal concentrations, locations, and chemical states. Synchrotron X-ray tools can address these requirements with high sensitivity, high spatial resolution, and minimal sample preparation. This perspective describes the state of fundamental scientific questions in the lifecycle of metals, from rocks to ecosystems, from soils to plants, and from environment to animals. Key X-ray capabilities and facility infrastructure for future synchrotron-based analytical resources serving these areas are summarized, and potential opportunities for future experiments are explored.

  PublisherDOI

• Synchrotron Science for Sustainability: Life Cycle of Metals in the Environment

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-03-30

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  The movement of metals through the environment links together a wide range of scientific fields: from earth sciences and geology as weathering releases minerals; to environmental sciences as metals are mobilized and transformed, cycling through soil and water; to biology as living things take up metals from their surroundings. Studies of these fundamental processes all require quantitative analysis of metal concentrations, locations, and chemical states. Synchrotron x-ray tools can address these requirements with high sensitivity, high spatial resolution, and minimal sample preparation. This perspective describes the state of fundamental scientific questions in the lifecycle of metals, from rocks to ecosystems, from soils to plants, and from environment to animals. Key x-ray capabilities and facility infrastructure for future synchrotron-based analytical resources serving these areas are summarized, and potential opportunities for future experiments are explored.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Biochemical and Molecular Genetic Studies of the HMT-1-Dependent Heavy Metal Detoxification Pathway in C. Elegans

  NSF · $748k · 2009–2013

• The Role of Copper and Transcriptional Regulatory Networks Governing Copper Homeostasis in Pollen Fertility in A. thaliana.

  NSF · $956k · 2017–2023

Frequent coauthors

• Philip A. Rea

  27 shared

• David E. Salt

  University of Nottingham

  19 shared

• Ivan Baxter

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  19 shared

• John Danku

  University of Nottingham

  19 shared

• Sung‐Jin Kim

  Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

  17 shared

• Olga Vitek

  Northeastern University

  17 shared

• Danni Yu

  ShanghaiTech University

  17 shared

• Rong Huang

  14 shared

Labs

• Olena Vatamaniuk LabPI

Education

• B.S., Botany

  Lviv State University

• Ph.D., Plant Physiology

  Lviv State and Kyiv State Universities

• Other, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics

  University of Pennsylvania