Global industrial growth has contaminated the soil and water with many hazardous compounds, including heavy metals. These heavy metals are not only toxic to plants but also cause severe human health hazards when leach out into food chain. One of the approaches employed for the decontamination of environment includes identification and overexpression of genes involved in the detoxification mechanism of plants. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a superfamily of enzymes, principally known for their role in detoxification reactions. Different classes of GSTs have been used to develop plants with improved detoxification mechanism, but not much information is available for Lambda class of GSTs. Here, we studied expression of OsGSTLs in different rice genotypes under arsenic stress. The study suggests differential expression of these genes in arsenic sensitive and tolerant genotypes. Further, the role of one member of Lambda class OsGSTL2 was studied by expressing in heterologous system, Arabidopsis. Transgenic lines developed were analysed for their response to different abiotic stresses including heavy metals. Analysis suggests that OsGSTL2 provides tolerance for heavy metals and other abiotic stresses like cold, osmotic stress and salt. We conclude that OsGSTLs can be utilized for developing plant varieties tolerant to different abiotic stresses including heavy metals. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.