Interaction between manufactured nanoparticles and the ecosystem: translocation, accumulation, distribution in plants

Supervisors: Ahmed MOURCHID & Florent CARN

Plant–nanoparticle interactions remain largely unexplored, limiting understanding of nanoparticle uptake, translocation, and intracellular distribution in plants. We investigated how physicochemical properties, including particle size (5–100 nm) and surface charge, influence absorption and distribution of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0. The AuNPs were functionalized with thiol-PEG-FITC for fluorescence-based tracking. Experiments were performed at three biological levels: protoplasts, root hairs, and entire roots. Protoplasts, lacking cell walls, exhibited direct transmembrane uptake, whereas root hairs showed the selective barrier function of the cell wall. Entire-root studies revealed heterogeneous accumulation patterns, indicating that uptake and distribution vary across cell types and tissues. Confocal microscopy combined with flow cytometry enabled quantitative visualization of AuNPs, highlighting key factors influencing uptake and transport and improving understanding of nanomaterial–plant interactions.