Metallothionein genes and expression for heavy metal resistance

As a consequence of the industrial revolution there is an enormous and increasing demand for heavy metals that leads to high anthropogenic emission of heavy metal into biosphere. Metallothioneins (MTs) are small cysteine rich proteins that bind to metals and have been identified in a range of organisms, including a number of plants. Genetic approaches, which improved phytoremediation of metals, have been developed. Progress in understanding the biological mechanisms of metal uptake accumulation and resistance in plants is being reviewed here, based on a number of original experimental works.