From laboratory to field: OsNRAMP5-knockdown rice is a promising candidate for Cd phytoremediation in paddy fields

PLoS One. 2014 Jun 5;9(6):e98816. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098816. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Previously, we reported that OsNRAMP5 functions as a manganese, iron, and cadmium (Cd) transporter. The shoot Cd content in OsNRAMP5 RNAi plants was higher than that in wild-type (WT) plants, whereas the total Cd content (roots plus shoots) was lower. For efficient Cd phytoremediation, we produced OsNRAMP5 RNAi plants using the natural high Cd-accumulating cultivar Anjana Dhan (A5i). Using a positron-emitting tracer imaging system, we assessed the time-course of Cd absorption and accumulation in A5i plants. Enhanced 107Cd translocation from the roots to the shoots was observed in A5i plants. To evaluate the phytoremediation capability of A5i plants, we performed a field experiment in a Cd-contaminated paddy field. The biomass of the A5i plants was unchanged by the suppression of OsNRAMP5 expression; the A5i plants accumulated twice as much Cd in their shoots as WT plants. Thus, A5i plants could be used for rapid Cd extraction and the efficient phytoremediation of Cd from paddy fields, leading to safer food production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biodegradation, Environmental*
  • Biological Transport
  • Cadmium / metabolism*
  • Cation Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Cation Transport Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques*
  • Metals, Heavy / metabolism
  • Oryza / genetics*
  • Oryza / metabolism*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • RNA Interference

Substances

  • Cation Transport Proteins
  • Metals, Heavy
  • Cadmium

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Program for Promotion of Basic Research Activities for Innovative Biosciences and by a grant from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan (Genomics for Agricultural Innovation, GMB0001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.