Molecular Impacts of Nanoparticles on Plants and Algae

Book excerpt: Molecular Impacts of Nanoparticles on Plants and Algae covers molecular mechanisms of plants/algae related to cellular uptake and translocation of nanoparticles, and genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome responses against it. The book introduces readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends of nanoparticles and plants/algae including interaction of nanoparticles with biological compounds in vitro. Nanoscience and nanotechnology have rapidly been developed in the last few decades, and they have a wide range of applications in industry, medicine, food, and agriculture. In agriculture, nanoparticles (NPs) have successfully been used for growth regulation, crop protection and improvement. They are also employed to cope with plant nutrient deficiencies. A predicted significant increase in the output of NPs will cause the discharge of a remarkable number of NPs to ecosystems, creating a need to understand how to optimize or mitigate their impact depending on their potential impact. These include serious health concerns for living organisms in aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric environments as well as human health through their potential existence in plant-based foods. The impact of NPs on living organisms including plants and algae, and uptake, translocation and molecular response mechanisms should be carefully considered before producing and using nanoparticles in large amounts as NPs, when entered to the body, induce changes in gene expressions related to the photosystem, water transport, cell wall formation, and cell division. Further recent studies have showed that NPs are potential agents or stressors to alter proteome, transcriptome, genome and metabolome responses. Impacts of nanoparticles on molecular mechanisms of plants and algae presents the most recent findings on nanoparticle and plant/algae interaction by focusing to molecular response mechanisms at genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome levels. In addition, uptake and translocation mechanism of nanoparticles will be assessed both in plant and algae Throughout this book, the latest developments and discoveries will be highlighted as well as open problems and future challenges in molecular mechanisms of plants/algae as a response of nanoparticles. - Presents genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome responses in plants/algae, along with cellular uptake and translocation mechanisms - Illustrates nano-particle-plant/algae interactions - Covers both simple and higher organisms, addressing both algae and plant