A long way ahead: understanding and engineering plant metal accumulation.
Some plants can hyperaccumulate metal ions that are toxic to virtually all other organisms at low dosages. This trait could be used to clean up metal-contaminated soils. Moreover, the accumulation of heavy metals by plants determines both the micronutrient content and the toxic metal content of our food. Complex interactions of transport and chelating activities control the rates of metal uptake and storage. In recent years, several key steps have been identified at the molecular level, enabling us to initiate transgenic approaches to engineer the transition metal content of plants.
Clemens
Stephan
S
Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, D-06120 Halle, Germany. sclemens@ipb-halle.de
Palmgren
Michael G
MG
Krämer
Ute
U
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001692:Biological Transport; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism*; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified
D019216:Metals, Heavy