N. Verbruggen, C. Hermans, H. Schat
Jun 1, 2009
Citations
31
Influential Citations
692
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Current opinion in plant biology
Abstract
The metalloid arsenic and the heavy metal cadmium have no demonstrated biological function in plants. Both elements are highly toxic and of major concern with respect to their accumulation in soils, in the food-chain or in drinking water. Arsenate is taken up by phosphate transporters and rapidly reduced to arsenite, As(III). In reducing environments, As(III) is taken up by aquaporin nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins. Cd(2+) enters the root via essential metal uptake systems. As(III) and Cd(2+) share some similarity between their toxicology and sequestration machineries. Recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of As and Cd uptake and detoxification is presented, including the elucidation of why rice takes up so much arsenic from soil and of mechanisms of As and Cd hypertolerance.