In the present study, arsenate（As（V）） and phosphate（P（V）） interactions were investigated in growth, uptake and RNA content in yeast（Saccharomyces cerevisiae）. Yeast grew slowly with As（V） concentrations increasing in the medium. However, the maximal population density was almost the same among different As（V） treatments. It was in the late log phase that yeast growth was aug- mented by low As（V）, which was maybe due to the fact that methionine metabolism was stressed by vitamin B6 deprivation, so As（V） treatments did not affect maximal population density. However, with P （V） concentrations increasing, the maximal population density increased. Therefore, the maximal population density was determined by P （V） concentrations in the medium but not by As （V） concentrations in the medium. Ycflp（a tonoplast transpor） transports As（GS）3 into the vacuole, but arsenic（As） remaining in the thalli was 1.27% with As（V） exposure for 60 h, from which it can be speculated that the percentage of As transported into vacuole should be lower than 1.27%. However, the percentage of As pumped out of cell was 71.49% with As （V） exposure for 68 h. Although two pathways （extrusion and sequestration） were involved in As detoxification in yeast, the extrusion pathway played a major role in As detoxification. RNA content was the highest in the early-log phase and was reduced by As（V）.
A hydroponics experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of copper （Cu） on cadmium （Cd）, calcium （Ca）, iron （Fe）, and zinc （Zn） uptake by several rice genotypes. The experiment was carried out as a 2×2×4 factorial with four rice genotypes and two levels of Cu and Cd in nutrient solution. Plants were grown in a growth chamber with controlled environment. The results showed a significant difference between the biomass of different rice genotypes （P 〈 0.001）. The Cd and Cu concentration in the solution had no significant effect on the biomass. The addition of Cu significantly decreased Cd uptake by shoots and roots of rice （P 〈 0.001）. The Cd concentration did not significantly influence Ca uptake by plants, whereas the Cu concentration did （P = 0.034）. There was a significant influence of Cd on Fe uptake by shoots and roots （P 〈 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively）. Zn uptake decreased significantly as the addition of Cd and Cu increased in shoots. We concluded that Cu had significant influence on Cd uptake. The possible mechanisms were discussed.
This research includes two investigations. The first one is a market basket survey of the levels of arsenic （As） and trace elements in bracken fern （Pteridium aquilinum） originated from three countries： South Korea, China and North Korea. The results showed that the mean As concentrations in stems of samples were significantly higher than those in leaves. As concentrations in all samples did not exceed food safety limits for vegetables. Generally, concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn in leaves were higher than those in stems. The second investigation is a survey on the levels of As and other heavy metals in vegetation in the vicinity of Myoungbong mine tailings. The results demonstrated that As, Pb and Cu concentrations and bioaccumulation factors （BCF） in seedlings of the fern（A splenium achilleifolium） were the highest, whereas Marsh horsetail（Equisetum polustre） accumulated the highest levels of Zn. Concentrations of As, Pb, Zn and Cu in vegetable-cress （Lepidium sativum） and the edible herb-aromatic madder （Elasholtzia splendens） were higher than food safety limits. Therefore, a risk assessment of As and other heavy metals in vegetables and herbs on local human health should be conducted in the future.
LIU Wen-juKim Kyoung-woongZHU Yong-guanLEE Sang-wooCHANG Pei-chunKwak Ji-hyun
A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted to investigate effects of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae on the growth of Vicia faba and toxicity induced by heavy metals （HMs） （Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd） in a field soil contaminated by a mixture of these metals. There was also uninoculation treatment （NM） simultaneously. Mycorrhizal （GM） plants have significantly increased growth and tolerance to toxicity induced by heavy metals compared with NM plants. P uptake was significantly increased in GM plants. Mycorrhizal symbiosis reduced the transportation of HMs fi＇om root to shoot by immobilizing HMs in the mycorrhizal, shown by increasing the ratios of HMs from root to shoot. Oxidative stress, which can induce DNA damage, is an important mechanism of heavy metal toxicity. GM treatment decreased oxidative stress by intricating antioxidative systems such as peroxidases and non-enzymic systems including soluble protein. The DNA damage induced by heavy metals was detected using comet assay, which showed DNA damage in the plants was decreased by the GM treatment.
ZHANG Xu-hongLIN Ai-junCHEN Bao-dongWANG You-shanSMITH Sally ESMITH F Andrew
