Pteris vittata (Chinese brake fern) has potential for phytoremediation of As-contaminated sites. In this study, the synthesis of total thiols and acid-soluble thiols in P. vittata was investigated under arsenic exposure. The strong and positive correlation between As concentration and acid-soluble thiols in plant leaflets suggests that acid-soluble thiols may play a role in As detoxification. A major As-induced thiol was purified and characterized. A molecular ion (M+1) of 540 m/z suggests that the thiol was a phytochelatin (PC) with two base units (PC2). However, the ratios of acid-soluble thiols to As in leaflets exposed to As ranged from 0.012 to 0.026, suggesting that only a very small part of As is complexed by PC2. PCs could play a minor detoxification role in this hyperaccumulator. A PC-independent mechanism appears to be mainly involved in As tolerance, while PC-dependent detoxification seems to be a supplement. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
CITATION STYLE
Zhang, W., Cai, Y., Downum, K. R., & Ma, L. Q. (2004). Thiol synthesis and arsenic hyperaccumulation in Pteris vittata (Chinese brake fern). Environmental Pollution, 131(3), 337–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2004.03.010
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