Metallothionein-like Genes and Phytochelatins in Higher Plants

Abstract

The mineral composition of soils is highly variable both spatially and temporally (for example, coincident with changes in soil moisture content). For plants to grow and reproduce they must adapt to at least some variation in this component of the environment. Adaptive mechanisms include regulating the uptake of nutrients from the soil, typically by transport activities in roots, and these may be complemented by other intracellular mechanisms that regulate availability and prevent toxicity of nutrients.