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Review
. 2012 Feb 27;5(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/1939-8433-5-5. eCollection 2012.

Cadmium transport and tolerance in rice: perspectives for reducing grain cadmium accumulation

Shimpei Uraguchi  1 , Toru Fujiwara  1
Affiliations
Review

Cadmium transport and tolerance in rice: perspectives for reducing grain cadmium accumulation

Shimpei Uraguchi et al. Rice (N Y). .

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal which harms human health. In Japan, a major source of human Cd-intake is rice grains and contamination of paddy soils by Cd and accumulation of Cd in rice grains are the serious agricultural issues. There also exist Cd contamination of rice and its toxicity in several populations in countries including China and Thailand. Understanding the Cd transport mechanisms in rice can be a basis for regulating rice Cd transport and accumulation by molecular engineering and marker-assisted breeding. Recently, a number of studies have revealed the behavior of Cd in rice, genetic diversity of Cd accumulation, quantitative trait loci controlling Cd accumulation and transporter molecules regulating Cd accumulation and distribution in rice. In this article, we summarize recent advances in the field and discuss perspectives to reduce grain Cd contents.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A schematic model of Cd transport processes from soil to grains in rice. Cd is absorbed from soils into roots. OsIRT1 and OsNramp1 are suggested to mediate this process. OsHMA3n (the functional allele of OsHMA3) play a critical role in Cd compartmentation into vacuoles in root cells and thus negatively regulates Cd xylem loading. OsHMA3a (the non-functional allele of OsHMA3) can not function in vacuolar Cd compartmentation in roots and which results in high efficiency of root-to-shoot Cd translocation. OsLCT1 contributes to Cd remobilization from leaf blades via phloem and also is likely to play a part in intervascular Cd transfer at nodes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of a Cd-sensitive line (a) and a Cd-tolerant cultivar (b). These plants show different phenotypes under excess Cd treatments.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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