Examination of the Metallothionein Gene Family in Greater Duckweed .

Duckweeds are aquatic plants that proliferate rapidly in a wide range of freshwaters, and they are regarded as a potential source of sustainable biomass for various applications and the cost-effective bioremediation of heavy metal pollutants. To understand the cellular and molecular basis that underlies the high metal tolerance and accumulation capacity of duckweeds, we examined the forms and transcript profiles of the metallothionein (MT) gene family in the model duckweed , whose genome has been completely sequenced. Four MT-like genes were identified and annotated as , , , and .