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Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Size-Dependent Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on Immune and Secretory Cell Populations from Zebrafish Intestines
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Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to examine how different sizes of polystyrene microplastics affect intestinal cell populations in zebrafish. The study revealed size-dependent effects on immune and secretory cell populations, providing a detailed transcriptomic view of how microplastics disrupt intestinal function at the individual cell level and alter the interplay between intestinal cells and gut microbiota.
Microplastics (MPs) as widespread contamination pose a high risk for aquatic organisms. However, the current understanding of MP toxicity is based on cell population-averaged measurements. Our aim was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the size-dependent effects of polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) on intestinal cell populations in zebrafish and characterize the interplay of MPs, intestinal cells, and intestinal microbiota. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the transcriptome heterogeneity of 12 000 intestinal cells obtained from zebrafish exposed to 100 nm, 5 μm, and 200 μm PS-MPs for 21 days. Eight intestinal cell populations were identified. Combined with changes in intestinal microbiota, our findings highlight a previously unrecognized end point that all three sizes of PS-MPs induced dysfunction of intestinal immune cells (including effects on phagosomes and the regulation of immune system processes) and increased the abundance of pathogenic bacteria. However, only 100 nm PS-MPs altered the expression of genes related to phagocyte-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and increased mucus secretion by secretory cells. Microsize PS-MPs specifically changed the lysosome (5 μm) and cell surface receptor signaling (200 μm) processes of the macrophages. Our findings pinpoint to cell-specific and size-dependent responses to PS-MPs in fish intestine, which can provide a reference for future study directions.
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Using advanced single-cell sequencing, researchers mapped how individual cell types in fish gills respond differently to micro- and nanoplastic exposure. Microplastics mainly affected immune cells called macrophages, while nanoplastics primarily targeted T cells, and a structural cell type called fibroblasts was especially sensitive to microplastics. This detailed cell-level view reveals that plastic particles of different sizes can trigger distinct immune and tissue responses.
Heterogeneity effects of nanoplastics and lead on zebrafish intestinal cells identified by single-cell sequencing
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Researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to examine how polystyrene nanoplastics and lead individually and together affect different cell types in zebrafish intestines. They found that nanoplastics primarily affected macrophages while lead mostly impacted enterocytes, and the combined exposure showed synergistic effects specifically in goblet cells. The study reveals that population-average toxicity measurements can mask important cell-type-specific responses to environmental contaminants.
Single‐Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Hair Cell‐Specific Molecular Responses to Polystyrene Nanoplastics in a Zebrafish Embryo Model
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Researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to polystyrene nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations and used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify hair cell-specific transcriptional changes in the inner ear, finding molecular-level effects without overt developmental phenotypes.
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals heterogeneity of the patterns of responsive genes and cell communications in liver cell populations of zebrafish exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics
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Researchers used single-cell gene analysis to examine how polystyrene nanoplastics affect different cell types in zebrafish livers. They discovered that various liver cell populations responded to nanoplastic exposure in distinctly different ways, with some cell types showing more disruption to fat metabolism and stress response genes than others. The study reveals that nanoplastic toxicity in the liver is not uniform and that certain cell populations may be more vulnerable than previously understood.
Effects of polystyrene microplastics on the composition of the microbiome and metabolism in larval zebrafish
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Researchers exposed larval zebrafish to two sizes of polystyrene microplastics and found significant changes in gut microbiome composition and metabolic activity. The microplastics altered the abundance and diversity of gut bacteria and disrupted metabolic pathways important for development. The study suggests that early-life exposure to microplastics could have meaningful biological consequences by reshaping the gut environment of developing organisms.
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