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The Role of Membrane Transport in the Detoxification and Accumulation of Zinc in Plants

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Detoxification of Heavy Metals

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

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient having various cellular functions. It is an important component of the functional structure of numerous enzymes and regulatory proteins. Zn is important in the functional regulation of enzymes and membrane transport systems as a messenger in intracellular signaling. However, in plants, excess Zn is toxic and causes chlorosis and growth disorders. Thus, to ensure Zn homeostasis, transporters act in coordination to mediate cellular import and export of Zn and distribution between cell organelles. The transport machinery responsible for uptake and export of Zn has been identified and its intracellular localization, such as the plasma and vacuolar membranes and the chloroplast envelope, has been studied. Uptake and export are required to ensure that Zn reaches its target proteins and also for detoxification or sequestration of Zn in the cell. Transporters implicated in Zn transport include members of the metal tolerance protein (MTP), ZRT1/IRT1-like protein (ZIP), and heavy metal ATPase (HMA) families. Their roles in the acquisition, distribution, homeostasis, and signaling of Zn are described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Rokkodai 1-1, Nada-ku, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan

    Miki Kawachi

  2. Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Yoshihiro Kobae & Rie Tomioka

  3. Laboratory of Cell Dynamics, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601, Japan

    Masayoshi Maeshima

Authors
  1. Miki Kawachi
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  2. Yoshihiro Kobae
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  3. Rie Tomioka
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  4. Masayoshi Maeshima
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masayoshi Maeshima .

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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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Kawachi, M., Kobae, Y., Tomioka, R., Maeshima, M. (2011). The Role of Membrane Transport in the Detoxification and Accumulation of Zinc in Plants. 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_7

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