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Detoxification of Heavy Metals pp 59–72Cite as

Functional Significance of Metal Ligands in Hyperaccumulating Plants: What Do We Know?

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Part of the book series: Soil Biology ((SOILBIOL,volume 30))

Abstract

Metal-hyperaccumulating plants can accumulate extraordinarily high quantities of certain metal ions in their leaves without suffering from toxic effects, thus allowing normal functioning of their metabolic processes. Metal tolerance is provided by efficient metal-detoxification mechanisms that operate at the organ, tissue, and cell levels. As only a very small amount of the cellular metal is expected to exist as free ions, the metal ions that do not occupy binding sites on proteins are believed to be bound to different ligands. The present chapter therefore focuses on ligands that have roles in the immobilization, transport, and/or storage of accumulated metals in plant organs, tissues, and cells. These mainly include organic acids (e.g., malic, citric, and oxalic acids) stored in the vacuole, histidine, nicotianamine, phytic acid, metallothioneins, phytochelatins, low molecular weight thiols, such as glutathione and others. The main aim of the present chapter is to emphasize the functional significance of these metal interactions with the major chelating ligands, and to reflect on their relevance for metal uptake, compartmentalization, transport, and accumulation in metal-hyperaccumulating plants, with an emphasis on the Thlaspi species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Marjana Regvar & Katarina Vogel-Mikuš

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  1. Marjana Regvar
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  2. Katarina Vogel-Mikuš
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Correspondence to Marjana Regvar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Inst. Allgemeine Botanik u. Pflanzenphys, Universität Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, Jena, 07743, Germany

    Irena Sherameti

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, 201303, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

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Regvar, M., Vogel-Mikuš, K. (2011). Functional Significance of Metal Ligands in Hyperaccumulating Plants: What Do We Know?. In: Sherameti, I., Varma, A. (eds) Detoxification of Heavy Metals. Soil Biology, vol 30. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21408-0_3

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