To understand the physiological mechanism that confers Cd sensitivity/tolerance, Cd uptake and translocation by Cd-sensitive mutant and wild-type rice seedlings were characterized using radioactive tracer. Time-dependent Cd accumulation during 210 min was 1.8-fold higher in roots of the mutant than of wild-type ...

Arsenic poisoning affects millions of people worldwide. Human arsenic intake from rice consumption can be substantial because rice is particularly efficient in assimilating arsenic from paddy soils, although the mechanism has not been elucidated. Here we report that two different types of transporters mediate transport of arsenite, the predominant form of ...

Higher plants acquire iron (Fe) from the rhizosphere through two strategies. Strategy II, employed by graminaceous plants, involves secretion of phytosiderophores (e.g. deoxymugineic acid in rice [Oryza sativa]) by roots to solubilize Fe(III) in soil. In addition to taking up Fe in the form of Fe(III)-phytosiderophore, rice also possesses the strategy ...