Underlying mechanisms responsible for restriction of uptake and translocation of heavy metals (metalloids) by selenium via root application in plants

[Display omitted] •Co-precipitation of Se and HMs in soil is a key factor to reduce plant HM uptake.•Soil pH, Eh, water and microbes affect the ability of Se in reducing HM uptake.•Se affects HM uptake via altering root morphology which is affected by hormones.•Se doesn’t always stimulate more formation of and sequestration of HMs on Fe plaques.•Se downregulates genes encoding proteins responsible for Cd uptake. Since selenium (Se) was shown to be an essential element for humans in 1957, the biofortification of Se to crops via foliar spraying or soil fertilization has been performed for several decades to satisfy the daily nutritional need of humans. Appropriate doses of Se were found to counteract a number of abiotic and biotic stresses, such as exposure to heavy metals (metalloids) (HMs), via influencing the regulation of antioxidant systems, by stimulation of photosynthesis, by repair of damaged cell structures and functions, by regulating the metabolism of some substances and the rebalancing of essential elements in plant tissues. However, few concerns were paid on why and how Se could reduce the uptake of a variety of HMs. This review will mainly address the migration and transformation of HMs regulated by Se in the soil-plant system in order to present a hypothesis of why and how Se can reduce the uptake of HMs in plants. The following aspects will be examined in greater detail, including 1) how the soil characteristics influences the ability of Se to reduce the bioavailability of HMs in soils and their subsequent uptake by plants, which include soil Se speciation, pH, water regime, competing ions and microbes; 2) how the plant root system influenced by Se affects the uptake or the sequestration of HMs, such as root morphology, root iron plaques and root cell wall; 3) how Se combines with HMs and then sequesters them in plant cells; 4) how Se competes with arsenic (As) and thereby reduces As uptake in plants; 5) how Se regulates the expression of genes encoding functions involved in uptake, translocation and sequestration of HMs by Se in plants.