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New SFT2-like Vesicle Transport Protein (SFT2L) Enhances Cadmium Tolerance and Reduces Cadmium Accumulation in Common
Liuliu Wu1,2, Yongang Yu1, Haiyan Hu1
1College of Life Science and Technology/Henan Engineering Research Center of Crop Genome Editing/Henan International Joint Laboratory of Plant Genetic Improvement and Soil Remediation/Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Biological Breeding of Henan Province, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China.
Abstract:
Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metal elements to the environment, which seriously threatens the safe production of food crops. In this study, we identified a novel function of the cytomembrane TaSFT2L protein in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Expression of the TaSFT2L gene in yeast showed no transport activities for Cd, which could explain the role of TaSFT2L in metal tolerance. It was observed that increased autophagic activity in roots caused by silencing of TaSFT2L enhanced Cd tolerance. Transgenic wheat revealed that RNA interference (RNAi) lines enhanced the wheat growth concerning the increased shoot or root elongation, dry weight, and chlorophyll accumulation. Furthermore, RNAi lines decreased root-to-grain Cd translocation in wheat by nearly 68% and Cd accumulation in wheat grains by 53%. Meanwhile, the overexpression lines displayed a compromised growth response and increased Cd accumulation in wheat tissues, compared to wild type. These findings show that TaSFT2L is a key gene involved in regulation of Cd translocation in wheat, and its silencing to form transgenic wheat can inhibit Cd accumulation. This has the ability to alleviate the food chain-associated impact of environmental pollution on human health.
