Evidence for a role of phytochelatins in regulating arsenic accumulation in rice grain

► Rice grain As accumulation exhibited significant genotypic difference. ► Rice grain As accumulation correlated negatively with shoot PCs concentration. ► Suppressing PCs synthesis by foliar sprays of BSO increased As accumulation in grains. ► Manipulation of PCs synthesis might mitigate As accumulation in rice grain. Phytochelatins (PCs) play a crucial role in detoxifying cellular arsenic (As) through complexation of arsenite. Here, we investigated whether PCs influence As accumulation in rice grain by using six rice cultivars varying in grain As accumulation. The cultivars with low grain As had significantly higher PCs concentration in the shoots than the cultivars with high grain As, but lower glutathione concentration. Shoot PCs concentration correlated negatively with grain As accumulation. Foliar sprays with 0.5 mM l-buthionine-sulphoxime (BSO) on rice leaves at grain filling stage decreased GSH and PC accumulation in rice shoots by 40–63% and 20–55%, respectively, but did not significantly affect plant growth. Foliar sprays with BSO decreased shoot As concentration, while increased As concentrations in husk and brown rice significantly. These results suggest that PC complexation of arsenite in rice leaves reduces As translocation from leaves to grains, and implicate that manipulation of PC synthesis might mitigate As accumulation in rice grain.