Award details

NIP aquaporins: New tools to reduce rice arsenic accumulation

Reference	BBS/E/C/00005072
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Fangjie Zhao
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	49,835
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	07/09/2010
End date	06/09/2014
Duration	48 months

Abstract

Among major food crops, rice is especially efficient at the accumulation of the toxic and carcinogenic metalloid arsenic (As), thereby posing a significant risk to human health. We have recently discovered that arsenite, the predominant form of arsenic in flooded paddy soil, is taken up by rice roots through the silicon (Si) uptake pathway, with the Nodulin 26-like Intrinsic Protein NIP2;1aquaporin mediating the influx of both Si and arsenite. Other members of nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins (NIP) are likely to be permeable to arsenite, but their roles in arsenic distribution to rice grain remain unknown. The overall aim of this proposal is to elucidate the roles of NIP channels in the transport of arsenite and methylated As towards rice grain. Specific objectives are: 1. To quantify expression levels of different NIP genes in rice leaf and grain tissues of rice lines with high and low As accumulation in grain, especially during the grain development stage. This will provide information about the candidate NIP genes that may be involved in As distribution to grain. Furthermore, the promoters of these candidate genes will be used to identify their expression pattern. 2. To investigate the in planta function in terms of As distribution of rice NIP genes that are expressed in leaf and grain tissues using knockout mutants. 3. To determine arsenite transport activity and substrate (arsenite, methylated As, Si) specificity of different rice NIP channel proteins, and to evaluate their relationships with the amino acid composition of the aromatic/arginine (ar/R) filter. To further determine the structure-function relationship by site-directed mutagenesis of the ar/R filter of selected rice NIP genes that are expressed in leaf and grain tissues. 4. To alter the expression of relevant NIP genes in leaf and grain tissues using specific promoters with the aim of decreasing As accumulation.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Crop Science, Plant Science, Structural Biology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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