Dataset Information

A molecular switch in sulfur metabolism to reduce arsenic and enrich selenium in rice grain.

ABSTRACT: Rice grains typically contain high levels of toxic arsenic but low levels of the essential micronutrient selenium. Anthropogenic arsenic contamination of paddy soils exacerbates arsenic toxicity in rice crops resulting in substantial yield losses. Here, we report the identification of the gain-of-function arsenite tolerant 1 (astol1) mutant of rice that benefits from enhanced sulfur and selenium assimilation, arsenic tolerance, and decreased arsenic accumulation in grains. The astol1 mutation promotes the physical interaction of the chloroplast-localized O-acetylserine (thiol) lyase protein with its interaction partner serine-acetyltransferase in the cysteine synthase complex. Activation of the serine-acetyltransferase in this complex promotes the uptake of sulfate and selenium and enhances the production of cysteine, glutathione, and phytochelatins, resulting in increased tolerance and decreased translocation of arsenic to grains. Our findings uncover the pivotal sensing-function of the cysteine synthase complex in plastids for optimizing stress resilience and grain quality by regulating a fundamental macronutrient assimilation pathway.

SUBMITTER: Sun SK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7925690 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A molecular switch in sulfur metabolism to reduce arsenic and enrich selenium in rice grain.

Sun Sheng-Kai SK Xu Xuejie X Tang Zhong Z Tang Zhu Z Huang Xin-Yuan XY Wirtz Markus M Hell Rüdiger R Zhao Fang-Jie FJ

Nature communications 20210302 1

Rice grains typically contain high levels of toxic arsenic but low levels of the essential micronutrient selenium. Anthropogenic arsenic contamination of paddy soils exacerbates arsenic toxicity in rice crops resulting in substantial yield losses. Here, we report the identification of the gain-of-function arsenite tolerant 1 (astol1) mutant of rice that benefits from enhanced sulfur and selenium assimilation, arsenic tolerance, and decreased arsenic accumulation in grains. The astol1 mutation pr ...[more]

PMID: 33654102

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Project description:Arsenic (As) accumulation in rice grain is a significant public health concern. Inorganic As (iAs) is of particular concern because it has increased toxicity as compared to organic As. Irrigation management practices, such as alternate wetting and drying (AWD), as well as genotypic differences between cultivars, have been shown to influence As accumulation in rice grain. A 2 year field study using a Lemont × TeQing backcross introgression line (TIL) mapping population examined the impact of genotype and AWD severity on iAs grain concentrations. The "Safe"-AWD [35-40% soil volumetric water content (VWC)] treatment did not reduce grain iAs levels, whereas the more severe AWD30 (25-30% VWC) consistently reduced iAs concentrations across all genotypes. The TILs displayed a range of iAs concentrations by genotype, from less than 10 to up to 46 μg kg-1 under AWD30 and from 28 to 104 μg kg-1 under Safe-AWD. TIL grain iAs concentrations for flood treatments across both years ranged from 26 to 127 μg kg-1. Additionally, seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were identified in the mapping population associated with grain iAs. A subset of eight TILs and their parents were grown to confirm field-identified grain iAs QTLs in a controlled greenhouse environment. Greenhouse results confirmed the genotypic grain iAs patterns observed in the field; however, iAs concentrations were higher under greenhouse conditions as compared to the field. In the greenhouse, the number of days under AWD was negatively correlated with grain iAs concentrations. Thus, longer drying periods to meet the same soil VWC resulted in lower grain iAs levels. Both the number and combinations of iAs-affecting QTLs significantly impacted grain iAs concentrations. Therefore, identifying more grain iAs-affecting QTLs could be important to inform future breeding efforts for low iAs rice varieties. Our study suggests that coupling AWD practices targeting a soil VWC of less than or equal to 30% coupled with the use of cultivars developed to possess multiple QTLs that negatively regulate grain iAs concentrations will be helpful in mitigating exposure of iAs from rice consumption.

Dataset Information

A molecular switch in sulfur metabolism to reduce arsenic and enrich selenium in rice grain.

Publications

A molecular switch in sulfur metabolism to reduce arsenic and enrich selenium in rice grain.

Similar Datasets

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