Phytoremediation of soil contaminated by heavy metals: Phytoremediation is an environmentally-friendly tool for the removal of toxic compounds, uch as heavy metals, from contaminated soils. It involves the use of plants to extract metal contaminants from soil. Plants that are effective in this role are referred to as hyperaccumulators. The thiol groups of sulfur-containing compounds, such as the amino acid cysteine, are known to be good coordinators of metal ions and likely play a role in their uptake by plants. Our research focuses on probing the distinct genetic features of hyperaccumulators, in particular those related to sulfur metabolism. Long term goals include the generation of plant varieties that are well suited to phytoremediation.
