Overexpressing GSH1 and AsPCS1 simultaneously increases the tolerance and accumulation of cadmium and arsenic in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 72; no. 7; pp. 1020 - 1026
• Main Authors: Guo, Jiangbo, Dai, Xiaojing, Xu, Wenzhong, Ma, Mi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aminoacyltransferases - genetics; Aminoacyltransferases - metabolism; Applied sciences; Arabidopsis - drug effects; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; arsenic; Arsenic - metabolism; Arsenic - toxicity; binding proteins; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; cadmium; Cadmium - metabolism; Cadmium - toxicity; Decontamination. Miscellaneous; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environment and pollution; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Garlic - enzymology; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - drug effects; genes; Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase - genetics; Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase - metabolism; Glutathione; heavy metals; Homeostasis; hyperaccumulators; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; metal tolerance; Miscellaneous; peptides; Phytochelatin synthase; phytochelatins; Phytoremediation; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - genetics; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plants, Genetically Modified; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - enzymology; Soil and sediments pollution; Time Factors; Transgenic; transgenic plants; uptake mechanisms; Transgenic; Phytochelatin synthase; Glutathione; Phytoremediation; Arsenic; In situ; Gene overexpression; Tolerance; Soil pollution; Phytoextraction; Heavy metal; Arabidopsis thaliana; Trace element; Phytotoxicity; Decontamination; Cruciferae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Phytochelatin synthase;Glutathione;Transgenic;Phytoremediation; Spermatophyta; Transgenic plant; Bioremediation; Genetically modified organism; Phytochelatin
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.04.018

The goal of this study was to develop transgenic plants with increased tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals and metalloids from soil by simultaneous overexpression of AsPCS1 and GSH1 (derived from garlic and baker’s yeast) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytochelatins (PCs) and glutathione (GSH) are the main binding peptides involved in chelating heavy metal ions in plants and other living organisms. Single-gene transgenic lines had higher tolerance to and accumulated more Cd and As than wild-type. Compared to single-gene transgenic lines, dual-gene transformants exhibited significantly higher tolerance to and accumulated more Cd and As. One of the dual-gene transgenic lines, PG1, accumulated twice the amount of Cd as single-gene transgenic lines. Simultaneous overexpression of AsPCS1 and GSH1 led to elevated total PC production in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results indicate that such a stacking of modified genes is capable of increasing Cd and As tolerance and accumulation in transgenic lines, and represents a highly promising new tool for use in phytoremediation efforts.