Multi-omics studies provide insights into selenium-mediated arsenic detoxification and stress tolerance in rice

Muhammad Zahir Ahsan，Faiz Hussain Panhwar，Sadam Hussain Bhutto，Xiaomei Jia，Xiaoying Ye，Zhu Jianqing

Food Bioscience ,Volume 78, February 19, 2026(IF=5.9)

Abstract

Arsenic (As) contamination in flooded paddy soils poses a severe threat to rice production, grain quality, and food safety. The mobilization of toxic arsenite (As(III)) and its uptake through silicon transporters lead to elevated inorganic As in rice grains, thereby increasing the risk of chronic human exposure. Selenium (Se), an essential micronutrient, exerts potent antagonism against As in rice by competitively inhibiting shared transporters, enhancing thiol metabolism, promoting GSH/phytochelatin chelation and vacuolar sequestration, and activating robust antioxidant defenses. This reduces grain As accumulation by ‌30–90%‌ while simultaneously enabling Se biofortification. This review critically synthesizes recent multi-omics insights (transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, ionomics) into Se-mediated As stress responses, evaluating key transporters, detoxification pathways, metabolic reprogramming, and regulatory networks. It highlights genotype-environment interactions and the translational potential of low-As, high-Se rice varieties. Critical research gaps, including limited field validation, nanoselenium ecological safety, and co-localized quantitative trait loci (QTLs), are discussed, alongside future directions integrating multi-omics approaches, precision breeding, and policy support to develop stress-tolerant, nutrient-dense rice varieties in As-contaminated regions。