Populus euphratica annexin1 facilitates cadmium enrichment in transgenic Arabidopsis

Phytoremediation offers a great potential for affordable remediation of heavy metal (HM)-polluted soil and water. Screening and identifying candidate genes related to HM uptake and transport is prerequisite for improvement of phytoremediation by genetic engineering. Using the cadmium (Cd)-hypersensitive Populus euphratica, an annexin encoding gene facilitating Cd enrichment was identified in this study. With a 12 h exposure to CdCl2 (50-100 mu M), P. euphratica cells down-regulated transcripts of annexin1 (PeANN1). PeANN1 was homologue to Arabidopsis annexin1 (AtANN1) and localized mainly to the plasma membrane (PM) and cytosol. Compared with wild type and Atann1 mutant, PeANN1 overexpression in Arabidopsis resulted in a more pronounced decline in survival rate and root length after a long-term Cd stress (10 d, 50 mu M), due to a higher cadmium accumulation in roots. PeANN1-transgenic roots exhibited enhanced influx conductance of Cd2+ under cadmium shock (30 min, 50 mu M) and short-term stress (12 h, 50 mu M). Noteworthy, the PeANN1-facilitated Cd2+ influx was significantly inhibited by a calcium-permeable channel (CaPC) inhibitor (GdCl3) but was promoted by 1 mM H2O2, indicating that Cd2+ entered root cells via radical-activated CaPCs in the PM. Therefore, PeANN1 can serve as a candidate gene for improvement of phytoremediation by genetic engineering.

Automated summary

Phytoremediation shows promise in remediating heavy metal-polluted soil and water. By studying a cadmium-hypersensitive plant, researchers identified a gene that facilitates cadmium enrichment, which could be a target for improving phytoremediation through genetic engineering.