arsenic-tolerance
Arsenic tolerance refers to the molecular and physiological mechanisms plants have evolved to survive and grow in soils contaminated with arsenic, a toxic metalloid widespread in the environment. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for plant science because arsenic accumulation threatens crop yields and food safety, particularly in agricultural regions with naturally high soil arsenic or irrigation with contaminated water. Research into arsenic tolerance pathways — including uptake, chelation, and sequestration — informs both the development of arsenic-resistant crops and strategies for phytoremediation of polluted soils.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-05-07
Scientists discovered a rice protein called OsELP that traps arsenic in root cell walls before it can migrate into the grain. Boosting this protein's activity dramatically reduced arsenic levels in rice grains, pointing to a clear genetic strategy for breeding safer rice.
Overexpressing OsELP in rice significantly reduced arsenic in grains by sequestering it in root cell walls, confirmed visually with electron microscopy imaging
OsELP overexpression also protected plants from arsenic-induced oxidative damage by boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and limiting reactive oxygen species buildup
Rice plants with the OsELP gene knocked out accumulated more arsenic in shoots and were markedly more sensitive to both arsenite and arsenate stress
