Effects of 2D-NanoMaterials on seed plants reproduction

Vedi abstract in Inglese

The main objective of the project 2D-NANO MAD PLANTs is to study the effects of 2D-nanomaterials (2D-Nms), possible future environmental pollutants, on the sexual reproduction of seed plants, a key biological processes for both terrestrial ecosystems and crops economy. Since the isolation of graphene in 2004, 2D-Nms led to the development and commercialisation of many innovative 2D-Nms-enabled products, which might release 2D-Nms into the environment during their whole life-cycle. Due to the very small size, light weight and bi-dimensional shape, 2D-Nms can easily be aero-dispersed, eventually landing on plants and soil, with unpredictable effects on the ecosystems. So far, widely varying effects of 2D-Nms, especially of graphene based materials (GBMs), have been reported for seed plants, mostly concerning the vegetative body at different developmental stages. However, only little is known about the effects on the sexual reproduction of seed plants. Recently, it was shown that graphene oxide (GO) might affect pollen performance mainly because of its acidic properties. Nonetheless, high quantities of the less reactive few-layer graphene or K-muscovite (mica), which naturally occurs as a 2D nanoparticle, can affect in-vivo pollen germination by physically hindering pollen and stigma interaction. The project 2D-NANO MAD PLANTS, conceived by three research units (RU) with long standing experience in GBMs ecotoxicity, reproduction biology of seed plants and crops production, will expand the knowledge on this topic by testing the effect of GO, Boron nitride (h-BN), Molibdenum disulphite (MoS2), and mica, i.e. 2D-Nms with different chemical physical properties and on the front line of Nano-research. Model and non-model seed plant species of high economic value (Cannabis sativa, Corylus avellana, Nicotiana tabacum and Zea mays) will be used to extend the testing to further aspects of the sexual reproduction biology, in particular: (1) the capability of female flowers of anemophilous plants to intercept airborne 2D-Nms; (2) the effects of 2D-Nms on pollen performance with focus on vescicle trafficking, cytoskeleton activity, ROS and Ca2+ homeostasis during in vitro pollen tube growth; (3) the internalisation of 2D-Nms by pollen tube and stigmatic surfaces; (4) the pollen-stigma interaction in vivo; (5) the performance and quality of the first filial generation (F1) seed progeny derived from plant reproductive structures exposed to 2D-Nms. The results of this innovative and interdisciplinary project will provide the knowledge to predict possible adverse environmental outcomes deriving from a large scale introduction of 2D-Nms-enabled products in the market. Furthermore, the same results could be used to plan the development of new technologies, applications and objects using a “safe-by-design” approach, which will mitigate possible environmental hazard from the very beginning of the life-cycle of a 2D-Nms enabled product.