Root Meristem Maintenance Mechanisms are Key to Plant Defense Against Nanoplastics.

ABSTRACT: The pervasive prevalence of nanoplastics in environment poses a challenge that threatens ecosystem and agricultural production. Despite their ubiquity, the determinants of nanoplastics phytotoxicity and the mechanisms through which plants defend against this phytotoxicity remain poorly understand. In this study, it is demonstrated that the phytotoxicity of nanoplastics is inversely correlated with particle size. Specifically, polystyrene-nanoplastics sized at 20 nm dramatically inhibit root growth in Arabidopsis, while larger particles (100 to 1000 nm) have minimal effects. Mechanistically, these small nanoplastics primarily target the root meristem (RM), disrupting cell integrity and inhibiting cell division, which impairs root development. Plants employ two key defense strategies to coun

SUBMITTER: Ma S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12631816 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature