Dissecting the promotional effect of zinc on cadmium translocation from roots to shoots in rice.

It is often expected that Zn decreases Cd accumulation in plants due to competition for the same transporters. Here, we found that increasing Zn supply markedly increased the root-to-shoot translocation of Cd in rice. RNA sequencing showed that high Zn up-regulated expression of genes involved in glutathione biosynthesis and metabolism and the Zn/Cd transporter gene OsHMA2, but down-regulated expression of genes related to Zn uptake.

Molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity and detoxification of trace metals and metalloids in plants.

Plants take up a wide range of trace metals/metalloids (hereinafter referred to as trace metals) from the soil, some of which are essential but become toxic at high concentrations (e.g., Cu, Zn, Ni, Co), while others are non-essential and toxic even at relatively low concentrations (e.

OsNRAMP5 Is a Major Transporter for Lead Uptake in Rice.

Lead (Pb) is one of the most toxic metals affecting human health globally. Food is an important source of chronic Pb exposure in humans. How Pb is taken up by rice, a staple food for over half of the global population, remains unknown.

Producing Cd-safe rice grains in moderately and seriously Cd-contaminated paddy soils.

Rice grains produced on cadmium (Cd) contaminated paddy soils often exceed the maximum permissible limit. A number of mitigation methods have been proposed to decrease Cd accumulation in rice grain in contaminated acidic soils, including altering water management regimes, liming, and genetic engineering. In the present study, we conducted a pot experiment to compare these methods for their effectiveness at decreasing grain Cd concentrations in both acidic (pH 5.

OsNRAMP1 transporter contributes to cadmium and manganese uptake in rice.

Rice is a major dietary source of the toxic metal, cadmium (Cd). Previous studies reported that the rice transporter, OsNRAMP1, (Natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1) could transport iron (Fe), Cd and arsenic (As) in heterologous yeast assays. However, the in planta function of OsNRAMP1 remains unknown.

Overexpression of the manganese/cadmium transporter OsNRAMP5 reduces cadmium accumulation in rice grain.

Rice is a major dietary source of the toxic metal cadmium (Cd), and reducing its accumulation in the grain is therefore important for food safety. We selected two cultivars with contrasting Cd accumulation and generated transgenic lines overexpressing OsNRAMP5, which encodes a major influx transporter for manganese (Mn) and Cd. We used two different promoters to control the expression, namely OsActin1 and maize Ubiquitin.

Effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on Gynostemma pentaphyllum physiology and bioactive compounds.

Recently, an important topic of research has been how climate change is seriously threatening the sustainability of agricultural production. However, there is surprisingly little experimental data regarding how elevated temperature and CO2 will affect the growth of medicinal plants and production of bioactive compounds. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature on the photosynthetic process, biomass, total sugars, antioxidant compounds, antioxidant capacity, and bioactive compounds of Gynostemma pentaphyllum.