Chelation
Since free cations in the
cytosol are very damaging, chelators like phytochelatins and metallothioniens
allow cations to be present in the cell in a harmless state. Additionally,
complexing of cations by organic acids facilitates translocation in xylem
vessels where, due to high cation exchange capacity, free cations could
rarely move. This is important in developing strategies for phytoextraction,
since the goal is to maximize metal accumulation in shoots, not roots.
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