Arsenic is toxic to all life forms and is a potent carcinogen. Its accumulation in crop plants and subsequent consumption poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. Recent developments have enhanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing arsenic uptake, detoxification, and accumulation in plants. In particular, the identification of plant arsenate reductase enzymes and emerging details of the processes underlying arsenic distribution and deposition in the seed will prove invaluable in the development of new strategies to mitigate this threat. Here we provide an outline of these recent developments and suggest new molecular mechanisms that could be employed to reduce arsenic in crops.

砷对所有生命形式都有毒，是一种强致癌物。它在农作物中的积累和随后的消费对全世界的公共卫生构成了严重威胁。最近的发展增强了我们对植物中砷吸收、解毒和积累的分子机制的理解。特别是，植物砷酸还原酶的鉴定以及砷在种子中分布和沉积的过程的新出现的细节将被证明对于制定减轻这种威胁的新策略是非常宝贵的。在这里，我们概述了这些最近的发展，并提出了可用于减少农作物中砷的新分子机制。