Selective accumulation of heavy rare earth elements in the hyperaccumulator Phytolacca americana: First evidence from spatially resolved analysis
Abstract
Phytolacca americana is the only reported rare earth element (REE) hyperaccumulator plant capable of selectively accumulating heavy REEs (HREEs, Gd to Lu plus Y), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Through in situ spatial localization analysis with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry and subcellular distribution analysis by chemical extraction, the differential distribution patterns of light rare earth elements (LREEs, La to Eu) and HREEs in P. americana are revealed for the first time. In P. americana , the translocation of REEs from roots to shoots increases with their atomic number, with HREEs being translocated more readily than LREEs. Although all REEs are predominantly distributed in leaf veins and mesophyll tissues, the LREEs are preferentially retained within vein vascular tissues, whereas HREEs are unloaded into mesophyll cells more efficiently. Furthermore, with increasing atomic number along the lanthanide series, the proportion of REEs retained in the cell walls gradually decreases (from 64.5% to 56.2% of the total content), while those compartmentalized into vacuoles progressively increases (from 5.5% to 14.5%). These observations indicate that HREEs are more readily unloaded from vascular bundles to mesophyll tissues and more efficiently translocated across cellular membranes into vacuoles. This study underscores the importance of identifying HREE transporters in P. americana and provides a strong incentive for developing biotechnologies selectively targeting REEs for resource recovery.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026selective,
title = {{Selective accumulation of heavy rare earth elements in the hyperaccumulator Phytolacca americana: First evidence from spatially resolved analysis}},
author = {Wen-Shen Liu and Cui-Ling Huang and Rui-Qi Zhang and Can-Die Xie and Antony van der Ent and Jean-Louis Morel and Ye-Tao Tang and Rong-Liang Qiu},
journal = {Industrial Crops and Products},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.124360},
url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05853508v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Selective accumulation of heavy rare earth elements in the hyperaccumulator Phytolacca americana: First evidence from spatially resolved analysis
AU - Wen-Shen Liu
AU - Cui-Ling Huang
AU - Rui-Qi Zhang
AU - Can-Die Xie
AU - Antony van der Ent
AU - Jean-Louis Morel
AU - Ye-Tao Tang
AU - Rong-Liang Qiu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Industrial Crops and Products
DO - 10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.124360
UR - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05853508v1
AB - Phytolacca americana is the only reported rare earth element (REE) hyperaccumulator plant capable of selectively accumulating heavy REEs (HREEs, Gd to Lu plus Y), yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Through in situ spatial localization analysis with laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry and subcellular distribution analysis by chemical extraction, the differential distribution patterns of light rare earth elements (LREEs, La to Eu) and HREEs in P. americana are revealed for the first time. In P. americana , the translocation of REEs from roots to shoots increases with their atomic number, with HREEs being translocated more readily than LREEs. Although all REEs are predominantly distributed in leaf veins and mesophyll tissues, the LREEs are preferentially retained within vein vascular tissues, whereas HREEs are unloaded into mesophyll cells more efficiently. Furthermore, with increasing atomic number along the lanthanide series, the proportion of REEs retained in the cell walls gradually decreases (from 64.5% to 56.2% of the total content), while those compartmentalized into vacuoles progressively increases (from 5.5% to 14.5%). These observations indicate that HREEs are more readily unloaded from vascular bundles to mesophyll tissues and more efficiently translocated across cellular membranes into vacuoles. This study underscores the importance of identifying HREE transporters in P. americana and provides a strong incentive for developing biotechnologies selectively targeting REEs for resource recovery.
SN - 0926-6690
ER -