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WhereHave You Been? Backtracking Microplastic toIts Source Using the Biomolecular Composition of the Ecocorona
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Researchers investigated whether the biomolecular composition of the 'ecocorona' — the protein and DNA layer adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces — could be used to backtrack microplastics to prior environments, deploying pristine and pre-conditioned polyamide and PET fibers and fragments in a tank housing black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Using metaproteomics and eDNA metabarcoding, they detected shrimp-specific proteins and pre-applied bovine serum albumin in the ecocorona, demonstrating that environmental history is encoded in the biomolecular signature of microplastic surfaces.
Microplastics are a diffuse contaminant with various global sources, pathways, and sinks. This study aimed to backtrack microplastics across environments using metaproteomic and eDNA metabarcoding information stored within the ecocorona. Pristine polyamide (PA) fibers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers and fragments, and PET and PA preincubated in bovine serum albumin (BSA) were deployed into a tank housing Penaeus monodon to develop an ecocorona. Upon collection, BSA was detected within the ecocorona, along with P. monodon proteins, using mass spectrometry. BSA preincubation influenced the diversity and abundance of ecocorona proteins with pristine microplastics having more significantly enriched proteins. Most ecocorona proteins reflected the marine environment, confirming that the protein assemblage on microplastics records environmental signatures. Microplastic tracking was validated using polyethylene plastics unintentionally discharged from an aquaculture facility into Moreton Bay and collected after 7 days. Orthogonal Partial Least Square models predicted the source with 69–92% accuracy based on 16S eDNA taxa and 69–123% accuracy based on untargeted metaproteomics. Several identified taxa from both analyses were specific to the aquaculture source, including genera Leucothrix and Rugeria and species Salmo salar and P. monodon. Overall tracking of microplastics using the ecocorona proved effective over short time scales and reliably reflected the surrounding biological milieu.
More Papers Like This
WhereHave You Been? Backtracking Microplastic toIts Source Using the Biomolecular Composition of the Ecocorona
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated whether the biomolecular composition of the 'ecocorona' — the protein and DNA layer adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces — could be used to backtrack microplastics to prior environments, deploying pristine and pre-conditioned polyamide and PET fibers and fragments in a tank housing black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Using metaproteomics and eDNA metabarcoding, they detected shrimp-specific proteins and pre-applied bovine serum albumin in the ecocorona, demonstrating that environmental history is encoded in the biomolecular signature of microplastic surfaces.
WhereHave You Been? Backtracking Microplastic toIts Source Using the Biomolecular Composition of the Ecocorona
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated whether the biomolecular composition of the 'ecocorona' — the protein and DNA layer adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces — could be used to backtrack microplastics to prior environments, deploying pristine and pre-conditioned polyamide and PET fibers and fragments in a tank housing black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). Using metaproteomics and eDNA metabarcoding, they detected shrimp-specific proteins and pre-applied bovine serum albumin in the ecocorona, demonstrating that environmental history is encoded in the biomolecular signature of microplastic surfaces.
Where Have You Been? Backtracking Microplastic to Its Source Using the Biomolecular Composition of the Ecocorona
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used metaproteomic and eDNA metabarcoding analysis of the biological ecocorona coating microplastics to trace plastic particles back to their source environment. Pristine and pre-incubated plastic fibers and fragments deployed in different environments accumulated distinct biomolecular signatures, enabling environmental source tracking of microplastics.
And where have you been? Backtracking microplastics using ecocorona composition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated whether the ecocorona — the layer of environmental biomolecules adsorbed onto microplastic surfaces — could serve as an ecological fingerprint to trace where particles have been, using data-independent acquisition proteomics and environmental DNA analysis on polyamide fibers and PET fragments. They found that ecocorona composition reflected the ecosystems microplastics had resided in and remained stable over time, suggesting a potential new method for tracking microplastic provenance.
And where have you been? Backtracking microplastics using ecocorona composition
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated whether the biomolecular ecocorona - a layer of proteins, DNA, and lipids that forms on microplastic surfaces upon environmental exposure - retains a stable fingerprint of the ecosystem where it was deposited, and used this signature to backtrack microplastic origin. The study demonstrated that ecocorona composition reflects the specific environmental conditions where microplastics resided, providing a novel tool for tracing the provenance and transport history of environmental plastic particles.
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