The MYC2 and MYB43 transcription factors cooperate to repress HMA2 and HMA4 expression, altering cadmium tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cadmium (Cd) represents a hazardous heavy metal, prevalent in agricultural soil due to industrial and agricultural expansion. Its propensity for being absorbed by edible plants, even at minimal concentrations, and subsequently transferred along the food chain poses significant risks to human health. Accordingly, it is imperative to investigate novel genes and mechanisms that govern Cd tolerance and detoxification in plants.

CDR1, a DUF946 domain containing protein, positively regulates cadmium tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana by maintaining the stability of OPT3 protein.

Industrial and agricultural production processes lead to the accumulation of cadmium (Cd) in soil, resulting in crops absorb Cd from contaminated soil and then transfer it to human body through the food chain, posing a serious threat to human health. Thus, it is necessary to explore novel genes and mechanisms involved in regulating Cd tolerance and detoxification in plants. Here, we found that CDR1, a DUF946 domain containing protein, localizes to the plasma membrane and positively regulates Cd stress tolerance.