On the Beneficial Role of Silicon to Organisms: A Case Study on the Importance of Silicon Chemistry to Metal Accumulation in Yeast

Silicon is involved in numerous important structural and functional roles in a wide range of organisms, including diatoms, plants, and humans, but clear mechanisms have been discovered only in diatoms and sponges. Silicate availability influences metal concentrations within various cell- and tissue-types, but a mechanism has not been discovered...