A novel plant cysteine-rich peptide family conferring cadmium tolerance to yeast and plants

Abstract

We have identified a novel cDNA clone, termed DcCDT1, from Digitaria ciliaris, that confers cadmium (Cd)-tolerance to yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The gene encodes a predicted peptide of 55 amino acid residues of which 15 (27.3 %) are cysteine residues. We found that monocotyledonous plants possess multiple DcCDT1 homologues, for example rice contains five DcCDT1 homologues (designated OsCDT1~5), whereas dicotyledonous plants, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica rapa, poplar (Populus tremula x Populus alba) and Picea sitchensis, appear to possess only a single homologue. GFP fusion experiments demonstrate that DcCDT1 and OsCDT1 are targeted to both the plant cytoplasmic membranes and cell walls. Constitutive expression of DcCDT1 or OsCDT1 confers Cd-tolerance to transgenic A. thaliana plants by lowering the accumulation of Cd in the cells. The functions of the DcCDT1 family members are discussed in the light of these findings.