Heavy metal absorption, transportation and accumulation mechanisms in hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens / 生物工程学报

Thlaspi caerulescens, the famous model plant of heavy-metal hyperaccumulator, can uptake and accumulate large amount of heavy metals in its above-ground part of the plants. However, the very low biomass in Thlaspi caerulescens makes this plant unfit for direct application in phytoremediation. In recent years, there are many reports about the physiological and molecular characterization of Thlaspi caerulescens under heavy metals stresses, including absorption, transport and intracellular detoxification processes (e.g., chelation and compartmentation). Research teams have conducted many studies of chelators in plants, such as organ acid, amino acid, phytochelatins, metallothioneins and nicotianamine, and so on. Several transport protein families, such as Zinc Regulated Protein, Cation Diffusion Facilitator, Natural Resistance and Macrophage Protein and Heavy Metal ATPase, play important role in short/long distance transport in the plant. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of heavy metals accumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens, with particular emphasis on the roles of transporters and chelatins in modulating plant heave-metal-stress responses.

Progress in the plant GH3 gene family / 生物工程学报

Phytohormone auxins play important roles in plant growth and development. The primary auxin-response genes can be classified into three major groups: Aux/IAAs, SAURs and GH3s. Significant progress has been made in understanding these gene families by approaches of the functional genomics, molecular genetics and molecular biology. In this review, we focused on the structures, functions and models of the expressional regulation of plant GH3 genes. The interactions in the signal transduction pathways between auxins and other signals mediated by the GH3 genes, the relationship between the GH3 genes and the stress adaptation responses of plants are emphasized.