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 The ionomics group is interested in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of phytoremediation of heavy metals and mineral nutrition uptake and distribution in both Arabidopsis and Oryza sativa. Multidisciplinary approaches including functional genomics, analytical chemistry and bioinformatics are adopted to identify key genes and mechanisms that could significantly improve the efficiency of heavy metal phytoremediation and mineral util heavy metal and mineral nutrient accumulation will also be performed to identify the genetic network that controls mineral element uptake and distribution in rice and Arabidopsis. We are also interested in revealing the molecular mechanisms that mediate plant development and spatial distribution of mineral nutrients.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ji-Ming Gong, Professor. Email: jmgong@sibs.ac.cn
Staff: Yan-Lei Fu, Research Assistant; Yi Zhang, Research Intern
Postdoctoral Fellows: Dr. Juan Bao, Dr. Zheng Chen
Graduate Students: Hong-Mei Li; Jian-Yong Li; Yu Zhang; Jing Huang; Ge Ding; Chun-Zhu Chen
Functional Characterization of POT1 Gene
A putative oligopeptide transporter encoding gene POT1 was isolated using microarray analyses. Northern ot showed that POT1 expression was directly up-regulated by Cd stress. Histochemical analyses of transgenic lines harboring POT1 promoter::GUS revealed a vascular tissue specific expression pattern. Subcellular localization analysis located POT1 protein to plasma membrane. Oocyte injection of POT1 mRNA suggests that POT1 is not a cadmium or cadmium:PCs complex transporter. Based on our current results, POT1 may function to re-distribute something to relieve Cd stress to plants.
Ionic Profiling of Metal Accumulation in Rice Cultivars and T-DNA Insertion Lines
Ionic profiling of classical rice cultivars and cultivars representing the core rice source of China revealed a significant genetic polymorphism that control mineral element accumulation in rice grain. Several cultivars with significant increased cadmium, zinc, iron, manganese and/or lead were identified. Further analysis of the ionic profiles revealed a positive correlation between several or all of the mentioned elements and a negative correlation between iron and silicon accumulation.
Quantitative genetic analyses of one Cd overaccumulation rice germplasm showed that several QTLs contribute to this trait. Furthermore, cadmium accumulation in rice shoots and grains may be attributable to a same mechanism.
Major Publications:
Sadi BB, Vonderheide AP, Gong JM, Schroeder JI, Shann JR, Caruso JA. (2008) An HPLC-ICP-MS technique for determination of cadmium-phytochelatins in genetically modified Arabidopsis thaliana. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 861: 123-129. Gong JM, Waner DA, Horie T, Li S-L, Horie R, Abid KB & Schroeder JI. (2004) Microarray-based rapid cloning of an ion accumulation deletion mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 15404-15409. Lahner B, Gong JM, Mahmoudian M, Smith EL, Abid KB, Rogers EE, Guerinot ML, Harper JF, Ward JM, McIntyre L, Schroeder JI & Salt DE. (2003) Genomic scale profiling of nutrient and trace elements in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nature Biotechnology 21: 1215-1221. Gong JM, Lee DA & Schroeder JI. (2003) Long-distance root-to-shoot transport of phytochelatins and cadmium in Arabidopsis. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 10118-10123. Kong J*, Gong JM*, Zhang ZG, Zhang JS & Chen SY. (2003) A new AOX homologue gene OsIM1 from rice (Oryza Sativa L.) with an alternative splicing mechanism under salt stress. Thero. Appl. Genet. 107: 326-331 (* equal contribution)
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