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Nanoplastics Alter DNA
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Researchers demonstrated that positively charged polystyrene chains can bind directly to DNA helices through electrostatic interactions with phosphate groups, inducing structural changes in the DNA. The findings suggest nanoplastics with charged surfaces could interfere with DNA structure and function at the molecular level.
Here we show that the direct binding of functionalized polystyrene chains can trigger biochemically relevant structural changes in DNA helices. For the stable association of the plastic and the biomolecule, the presence of the positively charged functional groups was found to be essential, which form strong Coulombic interactions with the phosphate moieties of the DNA, overcoming the interplay between the biomolecule and the aqueous medium. The geometric features of DNA showed a distinct shift from the initial B-DNA structure to the A-DNA form through the 100 ns simulations, implying that in the presence of the plastic the latter, rarer form becomes preferred. These conformational changes can have significant biochemical consequences and may be a part of the toxic effect of these materials.
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Microplastics can alter structural configurations of human non-canonical G-quadruplex DNA
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Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can bind directly to G-quadruplex DNA structures, which are important regulatory elements in human genes involved in cell growth and cancer. The microplastics altered the shape of these DNA structures, which could potentially interfere with normal gene regulation. This is one of the first studies showing microplastics can interact with DNA at the molecular level, raising concerns about how plastic particles inside the body might affect cellular processes.
Adsorption of Linear and Spherical DNA Oligonucleotides onto Microplastics
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Researchers investigated DNA adsorption onto common microplastics and found that DNA oligonucleotides bind to polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PVC surfaces, suggesting microplastics could serve as carriers for environmental DNA in aquatic ecosystems.
Impact of Polystyrene Microplastics on Human Alternative DNA Structures
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics interact with alternative DNA structures called i-motifs that help regulate gene expression. The study found that 100-nanometer polystyrene particles strongly interacted with the HRAS2 i-motif DNA, altering its structure and increasing its thermal stability. These findings suggest that small microplastics may disrupt DNA regulatory structures at the molecular level, potentially affecting gene regulation.
Interfacial Interactions between Nanoplastics and Biological Systems: toward an Atomic and Molecular Understanding of Plastics-Driven Biological Dyshomeostasis
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This study investigated how nanoplastics interact with biological molecules at the atomic level, finding that polystyrene nanoplastics can destroy the structure of proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and damage DNA. The nanoplastics essentially unfolded a milk protein, punched holes in cell membranes, and broke DNA strands. These findings help explain at a fundamental level how nanoplastics found in human blood, milk, and tissues could cause the inflammation and disease seen in other studies.
Impact of polystyrene microplastics on human alternative DNA structures
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Researchers investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect alternative DNA structures including G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, finding that PS microplastics induced conformational changes in these regulatory DNA structures, suggesting a potential pathway for genotoxic effects.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.