Rice ABCG43 is Cd inducible and confers Cd tolerance on yeast

An understanding of the cadmium (Cd) transport system in rice can serve as a basis for coping with Cd-related problems in rice and human health. To identify a new gene involved in Cd transport in rice, we screened our yeast library, expressing 140 kinds of rice ATP binding cassette (ABC)-type transporters. From the screening, we found that OsABCG43/PDR5 conferred high Cd tolerance on yeast. The Cd concentration of yeast carrying OsABCG43 was similar to that of the vector control. The OsABCG43 transcript was detected both in shoots and roots. Accumulation of it was elevated by Cd treatment in the roots but not in the shoots. This study indicates that OsABCG43 is a Cd inducible-transporter gene capable of conferring Cd tolerance on yeast.