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Reactive oxygen species mediated extracellular polymeric substances production assisting the recovery of Thalassiosira pseudonana from polystyrene micro and nanoplastics exposure
Summary
Researchers studied how a marine diatom (a type of tiny algae) recovers from exposure to polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics by producing a protective slime layer. The algae used reactive oxygen species as a signal to ramp up production of this protective coating, which then trapped and settled the plastic particles. While this shows algae have some natural defense against microplastics, the process also causes the plastics to sink to the ocean floor, potentially concentrating them in sediments where bottom-dwelling organisms and the food chain could be affected.
As emerging pollutants in the aquatic environments, micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) aroused widespread environmental concerns for their potential threats to the ecological health. Previous research has proved that microalgae growth could recover from the MNPs toxicities, in which the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) might play the key role. In order to comprehensively investigate the recovery process of microalgae from MNPs stress and the effecting mechanisms of EPS therein, this study conducted a series of experiments by employing two sizes (0.1 and 1 μm) of polystyrene (PS) MNPs and the marine model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana during 14 days. The results indicated: the pigments accumulations and photosynthetic recovery of T. pseudonana under MPs exposure showed in the early stage (4-5 days), while the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and EPS contents lasted longer time period (7-8 days). EPS was aggregated with MNPs particles and microalgal cells, corresponding to the increased settlement rates. More increase of soluble (SL)-EPS contents was found than bound (B)-EPS under MNPs exposure, in which the increase of the protein proportion and humic acid-like substances in SL-EPS was found, thus facilitating aggregates formation. ROS was the signaling molecule mediating the overproduction of EPS. The transcriptional results further proved the enhanced EPS biosynthesis on the molecular level. Therefore, this study elucidated the recovery pattern of microalgae from MNPs stress and linked "ROS-EPS production changes-aggregation formation" together during the growth recovery process, with important scientific and environmental significance.