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VOL.440 NO.7084 DATED 30 MARCH 2006
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* Agriculture: Silicon transporter found
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[5] Agriculture: Silicon transporter found (pp 688-691)
A research group in Japan have identified the protein that controls silicon
uptake in rice - the first such transporter to be found in higher plants -
opening up the possibility of genetically engineering crops to boost silicon
uptake and improve resistance to multiple stresses.
Rice can accumulate silicon to up to 10% of its dry weight, and this silicon
is deposited on the surface of leaves, stems and hulls. It helps to prop up
plants, enhance resistance to disease and pests, improve light harvesting
and minimize water loss as a result of transpiration.
By examining a rice mutant defective in silicon uptake, Jian Feng Ma and
colleagues honed in on the Low silicon rice 1 gene (Lsi1), which encodes a
silicon transporter found in the plant roots. The authors propose that
plants engineered to have greater silicon content might also improve silicon
nutrition in humans, as it is important for bone and connective tissue
development.
CONTACT
Jian Feng Ma (Okayama University, Okayama, Japan)
Tel: +81 86 434 1209; E-mail: [email protected]
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