Research Progress on PCR (Plant Cadmium Resistance) Genes in Plants

Heavy metal pollution is becoming increasingly severe, and cadmium (Cd) is one of the most threatening pollutants. The PCR (Plant cadmium resistance) gene encodes a class of small transmembrane proteins containing the PLAC8 motif, which confer cadmium tolerance to plants through multiple mechanisms such as efflux, compartmentalization, chelation, and antioxidant activity, and regulate fruit size and ion homeostasis. This study systematically integrated the PLAC8/PCR gene families from mosses, monocots, and dicots, revealing their structural and functional relationships, evolutionary trajectories, and functional diversification patterns through phylogenetic and motif analyses, providing a theoretical basis for cadmium-resistant breeding and environmental remediation. Future research should further integrate multi-omics and gene editing technologies to deeply elucidate the transport mechanism of the PCR protein pentamer and the functional differences of key motifs (CCXXXXCPC, CCXXCAL, and CCXXG), and conduct field trials to assess their ecological safety and crop application potential.