title: An engineered plant that accumulates higher levels of heavy metals than Thlaspi caerulescens, with yields of 100 times more biomass in mine soils.
abstract: Nicotiana glauca transformed with TaPCS1 was tested for its application in phytoremediation. When plantlets were grown in mine soils containing Cu, Zn, and Pb (42, 2600, and 1500 mg kg(-1)) the plant showed high levels of accumulation especially of Zn and Pb. Adult plants growing in mine soils containing different heavy metal concentrations showed a greater accumulation as well as an extension to a wider range of elements, including Cd, Ni and B. The overexpressed gene confers up to 9 and 36 times more Cd and Pb accumulation in the shoots under hydroponic conditions, and a 3- and 6-fold increase in mining soils. When the hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens was compared, the results were higher values of heavy metal and Boron accumulation, with a yield of 100 times more biomass. Thlaspi was unable to survive in mining soils containing either a level higher than 11000 mg kg(-1) of Pb and 4500 mg kg(-1) of Zn, while engineered plants yielded an average of 0.5 kg per plant.
authors.affiliation: Department of the Stress Biology, IBMCP, CSIC, Camino de Vera s.n., Post Code 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Almela
authors.forename: Dinoraz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vélez
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Agustín
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navarro-Aviñó
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D008906:Mining; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D031227:Thlaspi / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants