Mitigating cadmium accumulation in rice without compromising growth via modifying the regulatory region of OsNRAMP5

Cadmium (Cd) intake poses a significant health risk to humans, and the contamination of rice grains with Cd is a major concern in regions where rice is a staple food. Although the knockout of OsNRAMP5, which encodes a key transporter responsible for Cd and manganese (Mn) uptake, can significantly reduce Cd accumulation in rice grains, recent studies have revealed that this knockout adversely affects plant growth, grain yield, and increases vulnerability to abiotic and biotic stresses due to reduced Mn accumulation. In this study, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to modify the regulatory region of OsNRAMP5 with the aim of reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains. Our findings demonstrate that mutations in the regulatory region of OsNRAMP5 do not impact its expression pattern but result in a reduction in translation. The decreased translation of OsNRAMP5 effectively decreases grain Cd accumulation while leaving Mn accumulation and important agronomic traits, including yield, unaffected. Thus, our study presents a practical and viable strategy for reducing Cd accumulation in rice grains without compromising Mn accumulation or overall rice production. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44154-023-00117-x.