Heavy metals and arsenic stress in food crops: Elucidating antioxidative defense mechanisms in hyperaccumulators for food security, agricultural sustainability, and human health

The spread of heavy metal(loid)s at soil-food crop interfaces has become a threat to sustainable agricultural productiv-ity, food security, and human health. The eco-toxic effects of heavy metals on food crops can be manifested through reactive oxygen species that have the potential to disturb seed germination, normal growth, photosynthesis, cellular Abbreviations: ABA, abscisic acid; ABC, ATP-binding cassette family of transporters; ACBP, acyl-CoA-binding protein; ACC, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase; APX, ascorbate peroxidase; AqpS, aquaglyceroporin; ARC, International Agency for Research on Cancer; AsA-GSH, ascorbate glutathione; AsA, ascorbate; ATSDR, US Agency for Toxic substances and Disease Registry; BS, brassinosteroids; CAT, catalase; CDF, cation diffusion facilitator; COPT, copper cation protein transporters; CRISPR-Cas9, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats nucleases; DHAR, dehydroascorbate reductase; EBS, 24-epibrassinolide; EDCs, endocrine disrupting chemicals; EPS, extracellular polymeric substances; ETS, electron transport system; GA, gibberellic acid; GPX, guaiacol peroxidase; GR, glucocorticoid receptor; GR, glutathione reductase; GS, glutathione synthetase; GSH, glutathione; GST, glutathione S-transferase; H2O2, hydrogen peroxide; HM-As, heavy metals and arsenic; HM, heavy metals; HMAs, heavy metal ATPases; HMW, high molecular weight; IAA, indole acetic acid; JA, jasmonic acid; LMW, low molecular weight; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinases; MAS, marker-assisted selection; MDA, malondialdehyde; MDHAR, monodehydroascorbate reductase; MFS, major facilitator superfamily; miRNAs, microRNAs; MPs, microplastics; MTP, metal transport protein; NGS, next generation sequencing; NIPs, nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins; NMs, nanomaterials; NRAMPs, natural resistance associ-ated macrophage proteins; PAL, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase; PC, phytochelatin; PCD, programmed cell death; PCS, phytochelatin synthase; PGPR, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria; PHT, phosphate transporters; POD, peroxidase; PPCPs, pharmaceutical and personal care products; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids; RNS, reactive nitrogen species; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SA, salicylic acid; SBPs, SQUAMOSA promoter binding proteins; Se, selenium; SH, sulf-hydryl; Si, silicon; SMRT, single-molecular real-time; SOD, superoxide dismutase; SSNs, sequence-specific nu-cleases; TALENs, transcription activator-like effector nucleases; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances; TFs, transcription factors; TIR1, transport inhibitor response 1 gene; VIT, vacuolar iron transporter; YCF, yeast cadmium factor; YSL, yellow stripe like; ZFNs, zinc finger nucleases; ZIF, zinc induced facilitator; ZIP, zinc regulated transporter and iron regulated transporter; gamma-ECS, glutamyl-cysteinyl synthetase.

Automated summary

The spread of heavy metal(loid)s at soil-food crop interfaces poses a threat to sustainable agricultural productivity, food security, and human health. The ecotoxic effects of heavy metals on food crops can disrupt seed germination, normal growth, photosynthesis, and cellular functions through reactive oxygen species.