Source  Plant Communications

Published  JAN 12 2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2025.101566

IF  11.6

Abstract  Cadmium(Cd)accumulationinricegrainspresents a serious risk to human health; however, the mechanisms underlying this process remain incompletely understood. In this study, a genome-wide association analysis identified 29 loci associated with grain Cd content (LAGCCs). Among these, one of the most strongly associated loci, LAGCC4, contains the transporter geneOsPT1, whose haplotypes show a strong correlation with Cd content inricegrains. Atransposon, H-MITE, inserts into the5' untranslated region (UTR) ofOsPT1, altering itsexpressionpatternand leading to increased Cdaccumulation. Furthermore, we identified the transcription factor OsbHLH35, which specifically binds to the OsPT1H-MITE promoter to regulate its transcription in response to Cd stress. Targeted knockout of either OsPT1H-MITE or OsbHLH35 via CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing significantly reduced grain Cd content, with reductions ranging from 61.7% to 80.6%. This study reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism contributing to high Cdaccumulationinriceand identifies genetic targets for breedingricevarieties with reduced Cd content.