Elevated expression of TcHMA3 plays a key role in the extreme Cd tolerance in a Cd‐hyperaccumulating ecotype of Thlaspi caerulescens
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal for plants, but several unique Cd-hyperaccumulating plant species are able to accumulate this metal to extraordinary concentrations in the aboveground tissues without showing any toxic symptoms. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this hypertolerance to Cd are poorly understood. Here we have isolated and functionally characterized an allelic gene, TcHMA3 (heavy metal ATPase 3) from two ecotypes (Ganges and Prayon) of Thlaspi caerulescens contrasting in Cd accumulation and tolerance. The TcHMA3 alleles from the higher (Ganges) and lower Cd-accumulating ecotype (Prayon) share 97.8% identity, and encode a P(1B)-type ATPase. There were no differences in the expression pattern, cell-specificity of protein localization and transport substrate-specificity of TcHMA3 between the two ecotypes. Both alleles were characterized by constitutive expression in the shoot and root, a tonoplast localization of the protein in all leaf cells and specific transport activity for Cd. The only difference between the two ecotypes was the expression level of TcHMA3: Ganges showed a sevenfold higher expression than Prayon, partly caused by a higher copy number. Furthermore, the expression level and localization of TcHMA3 were different from AtHMA3 expression in Arabidopsis. Overexpression of TcHMA3 in Arabidopsis significantly enhanced tolerance to Cd and slightly increased tolerance to Zn, but did not change Co or Pb tolerance. These results indicate that TcHMA3 is a tonoplast-localized transporter highly specific for Cd, which is responsible for sequestration of Cd into the leaf vacuoles, and that a higher expression of this gene is required for Cd hypertolerance in the Cd-hyperaccumulating ecotype of T. caerulescens.
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Similar types of enhancement in expression were due to a five times more copy number of TcHMA3 transporter to accumulate Cd in ecotypes of N. caerulescens.
“Similar types of enhancement in expression were due to a five times more copy number of TcHMA3 transporter to accumulate Cd in ecotypes of N. caerulescens (Ueno et al., 2011).”
From Plant hyperaccumulators: a state-of-the-art review on mechanism of heavy metal transport and sequestration (2025) · cites this paper as Ueno et al., 2011
A higher copy number resulted in over-expression of TcHMA3 gene encoding Cd transporters in Saint-Laurent-le-Minier (Ganges) population compared to the Prayon population of N. caerulescens.
“In addition, it was observed that a higher copy number resulted in over-expression of TcHMA3 gene encoding Cd transporters in Saint- Laurent-le-Minier (Ganges) population compared to the Prayon population of N. caerulescens (Ueno et al., 2011).”
From Plant hyperaccumulators: a state-of-the-art review on mechanism of heavy metal transport and sequestration (2025) · cites this paper as Ueno et al., 2011
Several transporters were overexpressed, such as SpHMA1 in S. plumbizincicola, SaZIP4 in Sedum alfredii, and TcYSL3, TcHMA3, TcYSL5, and TcYSL7 in N. caerulescens plants for transport of metal ions.
“Several transporters were overexpressed, such as SpHMA1 in S. plumbizincicola, SaZIP4 in Sedum alfredii, and TcYSL3, TcHMA3, TcYSL5, and TcYSL7 in N. caerulescens plants for transport of metal ions (Gendre et al., 2007; Ueno et al., 2011; Zhao et al., 2019).”
From Plant hyperaccumulators: a state-of-the-art review on mechanism of heavy metal transport and sequestration (2025) · cites this paper as Ueno et al., 2011
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- Authors
- Ueno, D., Milner, M. J., Yamaji, N., Yokosho, K., Koyama, E., Clemencia Zambrano, M., Kaskie, M., Ebbs, S., Kochian, L. V., & Ma, J. F.
- Affiliations
- Okayama University (JP)
- United States Department of Agriculture (US)
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kochian, Leon V.
- Venue
- The Plant Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-04-04
- Volume
- 66
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 852-862
- ISSN
- 0960-7412 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-313X
- OpenAlex
- W1529362576
- Cited by
- 243
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 17.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Plant Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Agricultural Research Service
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Heavy metals in environment
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Analytical Chemistry › Heavy Metals in Plants
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Keywords
- Thlaspi caerulescens, heavy metal ATPase, cadmium hyperaccumulation, cadmium tolerance, vacuolar sequestration, gene expression levels, gene copy number, allelic variation, Arabidopsis overexpression, zinc tolerance
- MeSH terms
- Adenosine Triphosphatases, Alleles, Cadmium, Cloning, Molecular, Phylogeny, Plant Proteins, Transfection, Yeasts, Arabidopsis, Gene Expression Regulation, Plant, Plant Roots, Plant Shoots, Gene Dosage, Gene Expression Profiling, Membrane Transport Proteins, Plants, Genetically Modified, Thlaspi
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