Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A number of terrestrial plants accumulate large quantities of metals such as zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper in their shoots. The largest group of these so called 'metal hyperaccumulators' is found in the genus Alyssum, in which nickel concentrations can reach 3% of leaf dry biomass. Apart from their intrinsic interest, plants exhibiting this trait could be of value in the decontamination of metal polluted soils. However, the biochemical basis of the capacity for metal accumulation has not been elucidated. Here we report that exposing hyperaccumulator species of Alyssum to nickel elicits a large and proportional increase in the levels of free histidine, which is shown to be coordinated with nickel in vivo. Moreover, supplying histidine to a non-accumulating species greatly increases both its nickel tolerance and capacity for nickel transport to the shoot, indicating that enhanced production of histidine is responsible for the nickel hyperaccumulation phenotype in Alyssum.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/379635a0

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nature

Publication Date

15/02/1996

Volume

379

Pages

635 - 638