Role of OsABCC1 in Arsenic Accumulation Reduction in Rice Grain

Japanese and Korean scientists study the accumulation of arsenic in Oryza sativa (rice). Arsenic (As) is one of the compounds that can cause skin lesions and cancer in humans and its toxicity can promote stunted growth in rice plants. Thus the study of its accumulation in rice is necessary to find a solution on how this compound can be reduced. In their study, the role of OsABCC1, a C-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family in arsenic accumulation in rice was investigated due to the report that it can reduce and detoxify As in rice grains. It is abundant in different parts of the rice and specifically located at the tonoplasts. Evaluation of its role is studied by comparing the growth and development and arsenic accumulation in rice between mutant rice, created by knocking out OsABCC1, and wild-type rice under arsenic condition.

Result show that the mutant rice exhibit poor growth compared to wild type rice indication of a decrease tolerance in As. A higher percent of As distributed in different parts of wild-type rice, specifically in nodes, was noted compared to mutant rice. In grains, lower As accumulation was observed in wild-type rice by a total of 3.4 percent in comparison with mutant rice, which has a total of 20 to 24 percent of As found in rice plant body. This finding shows the potential use of OsABCC1 in creating As tolerant genetically modified rice.

Read more the study at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/10/15/1414968111.full.pdf+html