11 - Metalloid transporters and channels in plants

Abstract

Metalloids are the group of special elements that possess both the physical and chemical qualities of metals and nonmetals. The amount of metalloids in the soil depends upon natural weathering of metalloid-bearing rocks, along with anthropogenic activities. On the basis of ascending atomic number, boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and polonium are well-known metalloids. An extreme amount of metalloids in the soil, water, or air consequently lead to their entrance in the food chain. The metalloids are usually absorbed from the soil by plant roots with the help of transporters/channels and subsequently moved to various parts of the plants. The metalloid transport proteins include protein families like phosphate transporters, sulfate transporters, aquaglyceroporins, nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins, silicon influx transporter, hexose transporters, etc. The metalloids exhibit toxic properties due to their resemblance to biological components involved in a variety of metabolic processes. In the present chapter, we focus on understanding the metalloid transporters/channels, the mechanisms of transport, sequestration, and the tolerance mechanisms in plants.