Review: Arsenic transport in rice and biological solutions to reduce risk

Rice is a staple food for half of the world’s population, but it accumulates the toxic metalloid arsenic (As), which is present in soils and in plants in two forms, arsenate (AsV) and arsenite (AsIII). Chen et al. review the genetics and biochemistry of As uptake and sequestration into the rice grain, including a discussion of transporters, As efflux, volatilization and sequestration. The identification of these processes has supported studies to knockout or overexpress genes that can limit As acccumulation in the grain. These candidate genes can then be targeted for modification by gene editing or selective breeding to address the serious public health consequences of arsenic in rice. Front. Plant Sci. 10.3389/fpls.2017.00268