Selenium in plants: Molecular, Physiological, Ecological and Evolutionary Aspects

326 Pages·2017·6.54 MB·English

by  Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits

Plant Ecophysiology
Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits
Lenny H.E. Winkel
Zhi-Qing Lin
Editors
Selenium in
plants
Molecular, Physiological, Ecological and
Evolutionary Aspects
Plant Ecophysiology
Volume 11
Series Editors
Luit J. De Kok, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Malcolm J. Hawkesford, Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
Aims & Scope:
The Springer Series in Plant Ecophysiology comprises a series of volumes that
deals with the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on plant functioning and
physiological adaptation to the environment. The aim of the Plant Ecophysiology
series is to review and integrate the present knowledge on the impact of the
environment on plant functioning and adaptation at various levels: from the
molecular, biochemical and physiological to a whole plant level. This series is of
interest to scientists who like to be informed of new developments and insights in
plant ecophysiology, and can be used as advanced textbooks for biology students.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6193
Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits • Lenny H.E. Winkel
Zhi-Qing Lin
Editors
Selenium in plants
Molecular, Physiological, Ecological
and Evolutionary Aspects
Editors
Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits Lenny H.E. Winkel
Department of Biology Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic
Colorado State University Science and Technology
Fort Collins, CO, USA Duebendorf, Switzerland
Institute of Biogeochemistry
Zhi-Qing Lin
and Pollutant Dynamics
Environmental Sciences Program and
ETH Zurich
Department of Biological Sciences
Zurich, Switzerland
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL, USA
ISSN 1572-5561 ISSN 2405-4321 (electronic)
Plant Ecophysiology
ISBN 978-3-319-56248-3 ISBN 978-3-319-56249-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56249-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017939733
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Preface
The element selenium (Se) is fascinating and important for several reasons. It is an
essential micronutrient for many life forms including bacteria, archaea, some algae,
and most animals. Essential Se metabolism appears to have been lost, however, in
plants and fungi. Organisms that require Se for their survival utilize Se in the form
of selenocysteine (SeCys) in the active site of the so-called selenoproteins (humans
have 25), which have redox functions and are involved in immune function, thyroid
metabolism, and spermatogenesis. Interestingly, SeCys in proteins is encoded by
the opal stop codon, if it is flanked by a specific SeCys insertion sequence, which is
different in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. At high tissue levels, Se becomes toxic to
organisms, due to oxidative stress and to the replacement of S amino acids in pro-
teins by their Se analogs. Relative to other micronutrients, Se has a very narrow
window between adequacy and toxicity, which is around one order of magnitude.
As a consequence, both Se deficiency and toxicity are prevalent worldwide and
coincide with soils that are naturally low and high in Se, respectively. More than a
billion people have been estimated to be affected, particularly by Se deficiency,
which compromises their immune system (higher chance of infections including
HIV and cancer), thyroid activity and male fertility, as well as mental function.
While not essential for plants, Se is a beneficial nutrient that enhances plant
growth and antioxidant activity. Plants readily take up Se due to its similarity to
sulfur (S) and assimilate it into a variety of organic Se compounds, analogous to
S. Different plant species vary in the degree to which they take up and metabolize
Se and in their capacity to tolerate Se. Some plants native to seleniferous soils even
have evolved the capacity to hyperaccumulate Se to levels between 0.1 and 1.5% of
their dry weight. This variation in plant Se accumulation, metabolism, and tolerance
is not only of intrinsic interest but important because of its relevance for human,
animal, and environmental health. Different forms of Se have different nutritional
values. Crop Se content and Se speciation (chemical forms) are highly relevant for
consumers, since the majority of the world’s population directly depends on plants
v
vi Preface
for its dietary Se, and all people obtain their Se ultimately from plants, even if
indirectly via animals that feed on plants. Crops with optimal Se concentration and
speciation may be selected or bred via classical or genetically enhanced breeding
strategies. The levels and forms of Se in plants are not only a function of the genetic
properties of the plants but also of their growth substrate. Soils vary in the concen-
tration and forms of Se and Se bioavailability, which is influenced by abiotic and
biotic factors. Selenium may be added in chemical or green fertilizer to crops grow-
ing on low-Se soils, a practice called biofortification. On the other end of the spec-
trum, if soils are particularly high in Se, this may cause toxicity, especially if Se-rich
soil is used for irrigated agriculture or if Se-rich fossil fuels are used for energy.
Plants may be used to extract excess Se from soil or water, a technology termed
phytoremediation. In the absence of other contaminants, the resulting Se-rich plant
material may be used to supply dietary Se in low-Se areas.
Apart from these applications, there are also many intrinsically interesting
aspects of plant Se accumulation. Why and how do different plant species differ so
much in the degree to which they accumulate and metabolize Se? Which processes
underlie Se hyperaccumulation? Which benefits and disadvantages may Se accumu-
lation confer to the plant? In other words, which selection pressures may favor or
constrain Se accumulation? How does plant Se affect ecological interactions with
herbivores, pollinators, microbes, and other plants, and how does this drive the evo-
lution of both plant and ecological partners? How may plant Se accumulation and
metabolism affect Se movement through the food chain, ecosystem, and ultimately
global Se cycling?
In this book about Se, the plant has center stage, but the plant is placed in the
context of its environment and its evolutionary history. The book starts with an
overview of global Se distribution and the geological and biological processes that
affect global Se movement in water, air, or soil particles. In subsequent chapters, the
reader can follow Se from the point when it becomes bioavailable; is taken up by
algae and plants and then metabolized, translocated, and sequestered; and is ulti-
mately volatilized, consumed, and moved up in the food chain or redeposited in
litter to the soil and recycled after decomposition. Relevant for Se bioavailability
and for Se movement in the food chain, Se metabolism is also reviewed in prokary-
otes and in mammalian consumers, and the nutritional effects of the consumed plant
Se for consumers are discussed. The reader will learn about the profound ecological
effects of plant Se on interactions with herbivores, pollinators, microbes, and other
plants and the likely selection pressures that drive the evolution of Se hyperaccumu-
lation. Furthermore, the latest knowledge is presented about the molecular pro-
cesses involved in Se uptake, metabolism, tolerance, and (hyper)accumulation, as
well as successful approaches to optimize Se accumulation and speciation via clas-
sical crop breeding and genetic engineering. The book concludes by highlighting
global Se deficiency and toxicity issues in the world and successful applications of
plant Se accumulation for biofortification and phytoremediation.
Preface vii
We are happy to be able to present this book in this special year, 200 years after
the discovery of Se by Jons Jacob Berzelius in Sweden. We thank everyone who has
contributed to this book and helped highlight the many fascinating facets of Se in
plants from their respective vantage point and area of expertise. We hope the book
will be of use for the Se research community and anyone who is interested in learn-
ing about this interesting and important element.
Fort Collins, CO, USA Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits
Zurich, Switzerland Lenny H.E. Winkel
Edwardsville, IL, USA Zhi-Qing Lin
January 24, 2017
Contents
Part I Selenium Distribution, Bioavailability and Metabolism
in Plants
1 Multi-scale Factors and Processes Controlling Selenium
Distributions in Soils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Gerrad D. Jones and Lenny H.E. Winkel
2 Biochemistry of Plant Selenium Uptake and Metabolism . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Zackary Guignardi and Michela Schiavon
3 Molecular Mechanisms of Selenium Responses
and Resistance in Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Masanori Tamaoki and Akiko Maruyama-Nakashita
4 Mechanisms of Plant Selenium Hyperaccumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits
Part II Selenium Metabolism in Non-plant Organisms – Influence
on Se Fluxes in Ecosystems and Relevance
for Human Health
5 Selenium and Algae: Accumulation, Tolerance
Mechanisms and Dietary Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Michela Schiavon and Francesca Dalla Vecchia
6 Bacteria Versus Selenium: A View from the Inside Out . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Lucian C. Staicu, Ronald S. Oremland, Ryuta Tobe,
and Hisaaki Mihara
7 S elenium and the Plant Microbiome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Alyssa T. Cochran
ix
x Contents
8 Selenium Metabolism in Herbivores and Higher
Trophic Levels Including Mammals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Lutz Schomburg and Elias S.J. Arnér
Part III Genetic, Evolutionary and Ecological Aspects
of Plant Se Accumulation
9 The Genetics of Selenium Accumulation by Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Philip J. White
10 Manipulating Selenium Metabolism in Plants:
A Simple Twist of Metabolic Fate Can Alter Selenium
Tolerance and Accumulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Doug Van Hoewyk and Ozgur Çakir
11 Ecology of Selenium in Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Colin F. Quinn, Ali F. El Mehdawi, and Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits
12 Evolutionary Aspects of Plant Selenium Accumulation . . . . . . . . . . . 189
R. Jason B. Reynolds, Jennifer J. Cappa,
and Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits
Part IV The Societal Relevance of Se for Human
and Environmental Health: Biofortification
and Phytoremediation
13 O verview of Selenium Deficiency and Toxicity Worldwide:
Affected Areas, Selenium-Related Health Issues,
and Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
André Rodrigues dos Reis, Hassan El-Ramady,
Elcio Ferreira Santos, Priscila Lupino Gratão,
and Lutz Schomburg
14 S elenium Biofortification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Gary S. Bañuelos, Zhi-Qing Lin, and Martin Broadley
15 E ffects of Selenium on Plant Metabolism and Implications
for Crops and Consumers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Michela Schiavon, Leonardo Warzea Lima, Ying Jiang,
and Malcolm J. Hawkesford
16 O verview and Prospects of Selenium
Phytoremediation Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Karaj S. Dhillon and Gary S. Bañuelos
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323