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Endogenous Mechanisms of Selenium-Induced Antagonism against Cadmium Toxicity in Crops: Integration and
Jun Liu1,2, Jiajie Zhang1, Shiyu Hu2
1Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Biological Toxicology and Ecological Restoration, Key Laboratory of Hengyang City on Ecological Impedance Technology of Heavy Metal Pollution in Cultivated Soil of Nonferrous Metal Mining Area, Key Laboratory of Ecological Environment and Critical Human Diseases Prevention of Hunan Province Department of Education, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China.
Abstract:
Selenium (Se) orchestrates a multilevel endogenous defense network in crops against cadmium (Cd) toxicity. This network operates from rhizosphere immobilization (e.g., Cd-Se complexes, microbiome interactions, iron plaque, and root exudates) and subcellular sequestration via transporter regulation (e.g., OsNramp5, OsHMA3) to antioxidant enhancement and selenoprotein activation. Critically, Se acts as a signaling initiator, engaging pathways (e.g., GATA3-COMT1-melatonin) to systemically reprogram stress responses. This review highlights that Se's antagonistic efficacy is form-, dose-, and genotype-dependent, providing a mechanistic basis for precision agronomic strategies. Future efforts must bridge laboratory findings to field applications by elucidating molecular switches and developing integrated predictive technologies.
