Phytochelatins: Peptides Involved in Heavy Metal Detoxification

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology 2010-02, Vol.160 (3), p.945-963
• Main Authors: Pal, Rama, Rai, J. P. N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aminoacyltransferases - genetics; Aminoacyltransferases - metabolism; Animals; bioaccumulation; Biochemistry; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Detoxification; Enzymes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gene expression; genes; Heavy metal content; Heavy metals; ligases; literature reviews; metabolic detoxification; Metal concentrations; Metals, Heavy - isolation & purification; Metals, Heavy - metabolism; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Peptides; phytochelatins; Phytochelatins - biosynthesis; Phytochelatins - chemistry; Phytochelatins - metabolism; Phytochemicals; Phytoremediation; Plant Cells; plants; Plants - genetics; Plants - metabolism; pollutants; protein synthesis; Sulfides - metabolism; Vacuoles - metabolism
• ISSN: 0273-2289; 1559-0291
• DOI: 10.1007/s12010-009-8565-4

Phytochelatins (PCs) are enzymatically synthesized peptides known to involve in heavy metal detoxification and accumulation, which have been measured in plants grown at high heavy metal concentrations, but few studies have examined the response of plants even at lower environmentally relevant metal concentrations. Recently, genes encoding the enzyme PC synthase have been identified in plants and other species enabling molecular biological studies to untangle the mechanisms underlying PC synthesis and its regulation. The present paper embodies review on recent advances in structure of PCs, their biosynthetic regulation, roles in heavy metal detoxification and/or accumulation, and PC synthase gene expression for better understanding of mechanism involved and to improve phytoremediation efficiency of plants for wider application.