Nature Communications (Mar 2021)

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

  • Sheng-Kai Sun,
  • Xuejie Xu,
  • Zhong Tang,
  • Zhu Tang,
  • Xin-Yuan Huang,
  • Markus Wirtz,
  • Rüdiger Hell,
  • Fang-Jie Zhao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21282-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Contamination of paddy soils can lead to toxic arsenic accumulation in rice grains and low levels of the micronutrient selenium. Here the authors show that a gain of function mutant affecting an O-acetylserine (thiol) lyase enhances sulfur and selenium assimilation while reducing arsenic accumulation in grains.