Iodine deficiency disorders are one of the commonest preventable human health problems. Producing iodine-enriched crops could be an effective way to reduce their epidemicity in many regions. However, the actual knowledge on this issue is limited mostly to studies involving grain crops and inorganic iodine fertilizers such as I − and IO − 3. Moreover, the translocation, transformation and distribution of iodine from soil to plants are not well understood. Here, we studied iodine transfer from soil to vegetables using both inorganic iodine (KI) and organic, seaweed iodine. Greenhouse culture experiments were undertaken to assess the absorption and accumulation of iodine by four vegetables: Chinese cabbage, lettuce, tomato and carrot. We also investigated the dynamic variation of exogenous iodine in soil by applying KI and a composite of seaweed and diatomite. Our results show first that iodine levels in vegetables increase with the increasing addition of iodine. Second, the iodine content in the edible portion ranks as follows: Chinese cabbage (high I) > lettuce > carrot > tomato (low I). The iodine accumulation in the edible portion of the cabbage is thus 2.25 and 4.45 times higher than that of lettuce and carrot, respectively, and 19.67 times higher than that of tomato. In vegetable tissues the iodine distribution is ranked as: root (high I) > leaf > stem > fruit (low I), except for carrot, where the average iodine level in the rhizome is 50% of the shoot. Third, vegetable growth is inhibited when the added iodine concentration is higher than 50 mg kg −1. The order of tolerance against iodine toxicity is ranked as: carrot (high tolerance) > Chinese cabbage > lettuce > tomato (low tolerance). Fourth, the seaweed composite iodine fertilizer demonstrates more potential of durability than KI. Indeed, when KI is added to the soil at 150 mg kg −1 , the biomass of cabbage, lettuce, tomato and carrot decreases by 34.8%, 41.3%, 46.8% and 17.9%, respectively. By comparison, the biomass decreases are lower, 16.6%, 22.9%, 23.4% and 9.7%, respectively, when applying the seaweed composite. Fifth, after harvest, the residual iodine in soil fertilized with KI is only 56% of the initial addition, which is less than that for seaweed composite. This study is of theoretical importance to understand iodine biogeochemistry and its transfer behavior, and also has practical implications for seeking effective alternatives of iodine biofortification to prevent iodine deficiency disorders. exogenous iodine / vegetable / absorption / biofortification / health / iodine deficiency disorder

Laccase, a member of a group of proteins collectively known as multicopper oxidases, is hypothesized to play an important role in insect cuticle sclerotization by oxidizing catechols in the cuticle to their corresponding quinones, which then catalyze protein cross-linking reactions. Laccase 2 has been proved as the gene required for beetle cuticle tanning through RNA interference (RNAi) experiments on red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. The pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptero: Cerambycidae) is the insect serving as a major vector of the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is the causative agent for pine wilt disease. The cDNA of MaLac2 was cloned from the insect in this study. The conceptual amino-acid sequence deduced was much conserved with other known insect laccases, particularly with the enzyme of Tribolium castaneum. Injection in hemolymph of pine sawyer larva of dsRNA targeting the laccase 2 mRNA leads to important alterations of the tanning, hardening and sclerotization of the pupal and adult cuticles. Defaults appear in a dose-dependent manner and high loads of dsRNA are lethal. The decrease of the endogenous laccase 2 mRNA affects the procuticle which is thinner and without the characteristic piling up of successive layers. The observations reinforce the role of laccase 2 as an essential phenoloxidase for making cuticle.

To elevate the iodine level in edible plants has been shown to be an excellent approach to correct iodine deficiency. We have proposed an innovative approach to produce iodine supplementation by growing vegetables on soils with algal-based iodized organic fertilizer. Ten species of vegetables were tested. The biological absorption and migration of the iodine within the vegetable plants were revealed using microscopy with silver iodide precipitation technique. The results show that the absorption of iodine by the vegetable increases with increasing amount of the algal-based iodized organic fertilizer in general. And the uptake of iodine by leaf vegetable is significantly greater than that by fruit vegetable. Distribution of iodine in various plant organs shows a trend of decreasing iodine concentration from root, leaf, stalk, to fruit. A similar of decreasing concentration can also be found in various cells (cytoplasm>cytoderm>organelles). The exploration of the iodine uptake and biogeochemistry migration mechanisms provides an important scientific foundation for establishing a new method of producing a natural iodine supplementation by iodine biofortification of vegetables.

A hydroponic experiment has been carried out to study the influence of iodine species [iodide (I(-)), iodate (IO(-)(3)), and iodoacetic acid (CH(2)ICOO(-))] and concentrations on iodine uptake by water spinach. Results show that low levels of iodine in the nutrient solution can effectively stimulate the growth of biomass of water spinach. When iodine levels in the nutrient solution are from 0 to 1.0 mg/l, increases in iodine levels can linearly augment iodine uptake rate by the leafy vegetables from all three species of iodine, and the uptake effects are in the following order: CH(2)ICOO(-) >I(-)>IO(-)(3). In addition, linear correlation was observed between iodine content in the roots and shoots of water spinach, and their proportion is 1:1. By uptake of I(-), vitamin C (Vit C) content in water spinach increased, whereas uptake of IO(-)(3) and CH(2)ICOO(-) decreased water spinach Vit C content. Furthermore, through uptake of I(-) and IO(-)(3). The nitrate content in water spinach was increased by different degrees.

Iodine-enhanced vegetable has been proven to be an effective way to reduce iodine deficiency disorders in many regions. However, the knowledge about what mechanisms control plant uptake of iodine and where iodine is stored in plants is still very limited. A series of controlled experiments, including solution culture, pot planting, and field experiments were carried out to investigate the uptake mechanism of iodine in different forms. A new methodology for observing the iodine distribution within the plant tissues, based on AgI precipitation reaction and transmission electron microscope techniques, has been developed and successfully applied to Chinese cabbage. Results show that iodine uptake by Chinese cabbage was more effective when iodine was in the form of IO(3) (-) than in the form of I(-) if the concentration was low (<0.5 mg L(-1)), but the trend was opposite if iodine concentration was 0.5 mg L(-1) or higher. The uptake was more sensitive to metabolism inhibitor in lower concentration of iodine, which implies that the uptake mechanism transits from active to passive as the iodine concentration increases, especially when the iodine is in the form of IO(3) (-). The inorganic iodine fertilizer provided a quicker supply for plant uptake, but the higher level of iodine was toxic to plant growth. The organic iodine fertilizer (seaweed composite) provided a more sustainable iodine supply for plants. Most of the iodine uptake by the cabbage is intercepted and stored in the fibrins in the root while the iodine that is transported to the above-ground portion (shoots and leaves) is selectively stored in the chloroplasts.