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Abstract
Some plants can hyperaccumulate metal ions that are toxic to virtually all other organisms
at low dosages. This trait could be used to clean up metal-contaminated soils. Moreover,
the accumulation of heavy metals by plants determines both the micronutrient content
and the toxic metal content of our food. Complex interactions of transport and chelating
activities control the rates of metal uptake and storage. In recent years, several
key steps have been identified at the molecular level, enabling us to initiate transgenic
approaches to engineer the transition metal content of plants.