title: Assessment of plants from the Brassicaceae family as genetic models for the study of nickel and zinc hyperaccumulation.
abstract: We report on the second phase of a programme to select a relative of Arabidopsis thaliana for use in large-scale molecular genetic studies of nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) hyperaccumulation. We also report on the relatedness among Thlaspi caerulescens accessions and the utility of using O-acetyl-L-serine as a marker for Ni and Zn hyperaccumulation potential. Twenty-seven new accessions of metal-accumulating species collected in the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and the USA during Spring-Summer 2002 were evaluated. The criteria established for selection were hyperaccumulation of metals (Ni and Zn); compact growth habit; reasonable time to flowering; production of > or = 1000 seeds per plant; self-fertility; compact diploid genome; high sequence similarity to A. thaliana; > or = 0.1% transformation efficiency with easy selection. We conclude that the best candidate identified in the first phase was the best candidate overall: T. caerulescens accession St Félix de Pallières.
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, 625 Agriculture Mall Drive, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy Ann
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Peer
authors.forename: Mehrzad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahmoudian
authors.forename: John L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lahner
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: Angus S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Salt
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D019607:Brassicaceae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D005828:Genetics, Population; D018745:Genome, Plant; D009532:Nickel / Q000378:metabolism*; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology; D012694:Serine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D031227:Thlaspi / Q000235:genetics; D014170:Transformation, Genetic; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012694:Serine; D009532:Nickel; C043943:O-acetylserine; D015032:Zinc