Metalloid Hazards: from Plant Molecular Evolution to Mitigation Strategies

【作者】 邓锋林； 曾凡荣； 陈光； 冯雪； Adeel Riaz； 巫小建； 高巍； 邬飞波； Paul Holford； 陈仲华；

【机构】 长江大学农学院； 浙江大学农业与生物技术学院； 河南大学作物逆境适应与改良国家重点实验室； School of Science, Western Sydney University；

【摘要】 Metalloids such as boron and silicon are key elements for plant growth and crop productivity. However, toxic metalloids such as arsenic are increasing in the environment due to inputs from natural sources and human activities. These hazardous metalloids can cause serious health risks to humans and animals if they enter the food chain. Plants have developed highly regulated mechanisms to alleviate the toxicity of metalloids during their 500 million years of evolution. A better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the transport and detoxification of toxic metalloids in plants will shed light on developing mitigation strategies. Key transporters and regulatory proteins responsive to toxic metalloids have been identified through evolutionary and molecular analyses. Moreover, knowledge of the regulatory proteins and their pathways can be used in the breeding of crops with lower accumulation of metalloids. These findings can also assist phytoremediation by the exploration of plants such as fern species that hyperaccumulate metalloids from soils and water, and can be used to engineer plants with elevated uptake and storage capacity of toxic metalloids. In summary, there are solutions to remediate contamination due to toxic metalloids by combining the research advances and industrial technologies with agricultural and environmental practices.更多还原

【Abstract】 Metalloids such as boron and silicon are key elements for plant growth and crop productivity. However, toxic metalloids such as arsenic are increasing in the environment due to inputs from natural sources and human activities. These hazardous metalloids can cause serious health risks to humans and animals if they enter the food chain. Plants have developed highly regulated mechanisms to alleviate the toxicity of metalloids during their 500 million years of evolution. A better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the transport and detoxification of toxic metalloids in plants will shed light on developing mitigation strategies. Key transporters and regulatory proteins responsive to toxic metalloids have been identified through evolutionary and molecular analyses. Moreover, knowledge of the regulatory proteins and their pathways can be used in the breeding of crops with lower accumulation of metalloids. These findings can also assist phytoremediation by the exploration of plants such as fern species that hyperaccumulate metalloids from soils and water, and can be used to engineer plants with elevated uptake and storage capacity of toxic metalloids. In summary, there are solutions to remediate contamination due to toxic metalloids by combining the research advances and industrial technologies with agricultural and environmental practices.更多还原