Abstract
Athyrium yokoscense is an indigenous fern in Japan. It has a very strong tolerance to cadmium (Cd) and shows strong accumulation of Cd. Many researchers have studied soil remediation using the fern, but few have investigated the physiological mechanisms of Cd uptake. The purpose of our research is to clarify the physiology of the Cd tolerance and accumulation ability of the fern. We have shown that the Cd tolerance and accumulation of the fern are properties of the fern leaf cells themselves when grown as cell cultures. In this study, we investigated the expression of phytochelatin synthase (PCS) gene, whose expression in other plant species is known to be induced by exposure to Cd. Our result showed no increase in the expression of PCS following Cd exposure, indicating the possibility that a distinct mechanism is involved in the Cd tolerance of the fern cells.
