Decreasing arsenic accumulation in rice by overexpressing OsNIP1;1 and OsNIP3;3 through disrupting arsenite radial transport in roots

Summary Rice is a major dietary source of the toxic metalloid arsenic. Reducing arsenic accumulation in rice grain is important for food safety. We generated transgenic rice overexpressing two aquaporin genes, Os NIP 1;1 and Os NIP 3;3 , under the control of a maize ubiquitin promoter or the rice OsLsi1 promoter, and tested the effect on arsenite uptake and translocation. Os NIP 1;1 and Os NIP 3;3 were highly permeable to arsenite in Xenopus...