Toxicological effects and transcriptome mechanisms of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under stress of quinclorac and polystyrene nanoplastics

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 249; p. 114380
• Main Authors: Lu, Siyuan, Chen, Jing, Wang, Junyuan, Wu, Donghui, Bian, Hongfeng, Jiang, Haibo, Sheng, Lianxi, He, Chunguang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.01.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Gene expression; Herbicide; Nanoplastics; Nanotoxicology; Plant growth; Rice (Oryza sativa L.); Rice (Oryza sativa L.); Plant growth; Gene expression; Nanotoxicology; Herbicide; Nanoplastics
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114380

The absorption and accumulation of nanoplastics (NPs) by plants is currently attracting considerable attention. NPs also tend to adsorb surrounding organic pollutants, such as pesticides, which can damage plants. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the phytotoxicity of NPs are not sufficiently researched. Therefore, we analyzed the toxicological effects of 50 mg/L polystyrene NPs (PS 50 nm) and 5 mg/L the herbicide quinolinic (QNC) on rice (Oryza sativa L.) using 7-day hydroponic experiments, explaining the corresponding mechanisms by transcriptome analysis. The main conclusion is that all treatments inhibit rice growth and activate the antioxidant level. Compared with CK, the inhibition rates of PS, QNC, and PS+QNC on rice shoot length were 3.95%, 6.68%, and 11.43%, respectively. The gene ontology (GO) term photosynthesis was significantly enriched by QNC, and the combination PS+QNC significantly enriched the GO terms of amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolisms. The chemicals QNC and PS+QNC significantly affected the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) of the MAPK signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and plant-pathogen interaction. Our findings provide a new understanding of the phytotoxic mechanisms and environmental impacts of the interactions between NPs and pesticides. It also provides insights into the impact of NPs and pesticides on plants in the agricultural system. [Display omitted] •PS, QNC and PS+QNC all had negative effects on rice growth.•QNC affected rice by significantly up regulating GO terms related to photosynthesis.•PS+QNC significantly up-regulated the metabolic process of various amino acids.•Plant hormone regulation could explain the negative effects of PS, PS+QNC on rice.