Project description
Studying the effect of nanotechnology on plant cells
The use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in agriculture, known as phytonanotechnology, helps in the controlled release of agrochemicals and the target-specific delivery of biomolecules to boost disease resistance, nutrient utilisation and crop yield. The EU-funded PhytoENM project will examine potential key cellular processes involved in the delivery of ENMs to plants and determine the safe use and social acceptance of phytonanotechnology. This will involve assessing potential adverse effects, including the risks associated with the transfer of ENMs through the food chain. To that end, PhytoENM will develop novel isotope labelling techniques to study metal-based ENMs and their distribution within individual cells, leading to information on their potential toxicity.
Objective
Phytonanotechnology (use of Engineered Nanomaterial, ENMs, in agriculture) supports the controlled release of agrochemicals (e.g. fertilizers, pesticides) and target-specific delivery of biomolecules (e.g. nucleotides, proteins, and activators) for increased disease resistance, nutrient utilization, and crop yield. Along with the groundbreaking potential of such techniques, one should be careful about their trophic transfer to plants. This topic has been rarely studied, compared to the toxic effect of ENMs in human systems. However, assessment of ENM toxicity to plant cells is critical to the implementation of nanotechnology in agriculture and support of global sustainability and the EC's European Green Deal. The proposed project addresses potential key cellular processes involved in the delivery of ENMs to plants and the safe use and social acceptance of phytonanotechnology, assessing potential adverse effects, including the risks associated with the transfer of ENMs through the food chain. To do so, novel analytical techniques are essential that could study metal-based ENMs and their distribution within individual cells. The development of Single Particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) is a new area of research which allows rapid detection and analysis of ENMs in a variety of matrices and applications, as it allows discrete pulses of positively charged ions to be detected and measured in a time resolved manner using microsecond data acquisition rates. PhytoENM will go beyond, applying the concept of Single Cell ICP-MS (SC-ICP-MS), where individual cells are rapidly analyzed for their particulate & ionic content, something that has not been done before in plants. The project will also use novel stable-isotope labelling techniques pioneered by the applicant team. This would allow the understanding of the interaction of metal-based ENMs in single cells spatially, and the related mechanistic pathways, leading to information on their distribution and potential toxicity.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsnucleotides
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom