Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Insect Insights at the Single-Cell Level: Technologies and Applications

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews single-cell RNA sequencing technologies and their applications in insect biology research.

2023 Cells 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective multi-modal clustering method via skip aggregation network for parallel scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq data

This paper presents a new computational method for analyzing single-cell genomic data by clustering cells based on both their gene expression and chromatin accessibility patterns. The technique uses a skip aggregation network to better integrate information from multiple data types. While not related to microplastics, this type of advanced analytical tool could potentially be applied to study how microplastic exposure affects gene expression at the single-cell level in human tissues.

2024 Briefings in Bioinformatics 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Drosophila melanogaster as a tractable eco-environmental model to unravel the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics

This review summarizes research using fruit flies as a model to study how micro- and nanoplastics harm living organisms. Studies show these tiny plastic particles cause oxidative stress, inflammation, DNA damage, and reproductive problems in flies, with males being more vulnerable than females -- findings that may help us understand similar risks in humans.

2024 Environment International 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Data mining of molecular data resulting from environmental exposure to xenobiotics

Researchers characterized the multi-layer gene expression response of human airway and liver cells exposed to polystyrene microplastics across multiple doses and time points. They found thousands of differentially expressed genes along with extensive reprogramming of gene isoforms, affecting protein coding capacity and RNA stability. The study demonstrates that microplastic exposure triggers a structured, dose- and time-dependent remodeling of cellular gene expression programs in human tissue models.

2026 IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome)
Article Tier 2

The Impact of Microplastics on Tissue-specific Gene Expression in the Tropical House Cricket, G. sigillatus

Researchers examined tissue-specific gene expression responses in tropical house crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) fed microplastics, using RNA sequencing across midgut, hindgut, fat body, and ovary tissues to reveal impacts on immune function and mitochondrial activity.

2023
Article Tier 2

A single-cell atlas of the single versus multiple parous Hu Sheep ovary

This is a sheep reproductive biology study using single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate differences in ovarian gene expression between high- and low-fertility ewes; it is not a microplastics research paper.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The effects of microplastics and nanoplastics upon history, policies, and Drosophila melanogaster

This study examined the effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, finding that dietary exposure to these pervasive environmental contaminants causes measurable biological harm and making the case for stronger regulatory policies.

2023
Article Tier 2

A guided tour in protein interaction space: Coiled coils from the yeast proteome

The abstract for this entry describes growing global concerns about micro- and nanoplastics and the need for better analytical methods to detect and characterize them. The title refers to a protein interaction study in yeast, indicating a database mismatch.

2000 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 13 citations
Article Tier 2

A metabolomics perspective on the effect of environmental micro and nanoplastics on living organisms: A review

This review examines how scientists use metabolomics, the study of small molecules produced by cellular processes, to understand the toxic effects of microplastics and nanoplastics on living organisms. The research shows that these plastic particles disrupt metabolism in consistent ways across species, affecting energy production, fat processing, and amino acid pathways. These shared metabolic disruptions across different organisms suggest that microplastics could cause similar metabolic problems in humans.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Food nutrition and toxicology targeting on specific organs in the era ofsingle-cell sequencing

This review examines how single-cell sequencing technologies can reveal organ-specific effects of food nutrients and toxicants, including contaminants like microplastics, by uncovering cellular heterogeneity and tissue-biased responses that traditional methods miss.

2023 Food Science and Human Wellness 8 citations
Article Tier 2

SGCRNA: spectral clustering-guided co-expression network analysis without scale-free constraints for multi-omic data

Researchers developed SGCRNA, a new computational tool for analyzing gene co-expression networks that addresses limitations of the widely used WGCNA method. The tool removes the assumption of scale-free topology, eliminates manual parameter tuning, and accounts for regression line slopes. While not specific to microplastics research, this bioinformatics tool can be applied to analyze multi-omic datasets from studies examining biological responses to environmental contaminants.

2026 Briefings in Bioinformatics
Article Tier 2

Multidimensional analysis methods for flow cytometry : Pushing the boundaries

This thesis developed new methods for analyzing multidimensional flow cytometry data to better identify cell populations. While a bioinformatics and immunology paper, flow cytometry is also used in cutting-edge research to detect and quantify micro- and nanoplastics in biological fluids.

2019 Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Reveals Size-Dependent Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics on Immune and Secretory Cell Populations from Zebrafish Intestines

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.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 232 citations
Article Tier 2

The impact of microplastics on tissue-specific gene expression in the tropical house cricket, Gryllodes sigillatus

Researchers fed microplastics to tropical house crickets and measured gene expression changes across four different tissue types. They found that microplastic consumption triggered unique responses in each tissue, with notable changes in genes related to stress, immunity, metabolism, and even cancer pathways. The study demonstrates that microplastic exposure affects different organs in distinct ways, highlighting the complexity of how plastic pollution impacts living organisms.

2025 Environmental Pollution 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Polypropylene microplastics affect the physiology in Drosophila model

Researchers found that polypropylene microplastics negatively affected the physiology of Drosophila fruit flies, complementing earlier work on polyethylene terephthalate microplastics and demonstrating that different polymer types can impair organism health.

2023 Bulletin of Entomological Research 13 citations
Article Tier 2

In vivo evaluation of the neurogenotoxic effects of exposure to validamycin A in neuroblasts of Drosophila melanogaster larval brain

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it evaluates the neurogenotoxic effects of the fungicide validamycin A in an in vivo vertebrate model, examining DNA damage in brain cells.

2023 Journal of Applied Toxicology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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

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.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Neuromuscular, retinal, and reproductive impact of low-dose polystyrene microplastics on Drosophila

Researchers found that even low doses of polystyrene microplastics impaired neuromuscular signaling, altered retinal function, and reduced reproductive rates in fruit flies, with gene expression changes in key signaling pathways underlying these effects.

2021 Environmental Pollution 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of PET microplastics on the physiology of Drosophila

Researchers used Drosophila fruit flies as a model to study the physiological effects of PET microplastics, finding that ingestion affected reproduction, lifespan, and gut function. The study suggests that even common plastic types found in food packaging can have measurable biological effects when consumed by living organisms.

2021 Chemosphere 66 citations
Article Tier 2

The heart of plastic: utilizing the Drosophila model to investigate the effects of micro/nanoplastics on heart function

Researchers used fruit flies as a model to study how micro- and nanoplastics affect heart function, an area with very limited research despite the known presence of plastics in human cardiovascular tissue. They reviewed existing evidence showing that plastic particles can alter heart rate, trigger stress responses, and accumulate in cardiac tissue. The study highlights the fruit fly as a fast, affordable model for investigating the potential cardiovascular risks of plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Toxicology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

High-concentration polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics co-exposure shorten insect lifespan and impose ecological risk: Multi-omics evidence from Drosophila melanogaster

Researchers used fruit flies as a model organism to study how co-exposure to high concentrations of polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics affects insect lifespan. Multi-omics analysis revealed that microplastic co-exposure significantly shortened lifespan and disrupted key biological pathways, suggesting potential ecological risks from cumulative microplastic exposure in the environment.

2026 Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C Toxicology & Pharmacology
Systematic Review Tier 1

Zebrafish and Drosophila as Model Systems for Studying the Impact of Microplastics and Nanoplastics ‐ A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines how zebrafish and fruit flies are being used as model organisms to study the effects of micro- and nanoplastics on living systems. These animal models help researchers understand how plastic particles interact with biological tissues, providing insights that are relevant to potential human health effects.

2024 Environmental Quality Management 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Transcriptome Profiling of Developing Testes and Spermatogenesis in the Qianbei Ma Goat

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it uses RNA sequencing to profile gene expression changes during testis development and spermatogenesis in Qianbei Ma goats at different stages of maturity.

2023 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Suborganismal responses of the aquatic midge Chironomus riparius to polyethylene microplastics

Researchers exposed Chironomus riparius larvae to polyethylene microplastics and used transcriptomics and metabolomics to characterize suborganismal responses, finding disruption of oxidative stress pathways, energy metabolism, and cuticle synthesis — effects not captured by standard life-history endpoints alone.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations