Probing the interaction mechanism of SDBS with AtPrxQ from Arabidopsis thaliana: Insight into the molecular toxicity to plants

Abstract

As the most universally used anionic surfactant, ubiquitous existence and accumulation of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) in the environment has inevitably imposed the associated harmful impacts to plants due to producing excessive reactive oxygen species. However, the underlying hazardous mechanism of the SDBS-induced oxidative stress to plants at molecular level has never been reported. Here, the molecular interaction of AtPrxQ with SDBS was explored for the first time. The intrinsic fluorescence of AtPrxQ was quenched based on static quenching, and a single binding site of AtPrxQ towards SDBS and the potential interaction forces driven by hydrophobic interactions were predicted from thermodynamic parameters and molecular docking results. Besides, the interaction pattern of AtPrxQ and SDBS was also confirmed by the bio-layer interferometry with moderate binding affinity. Moreover, the structural changes of AtPrxQ along with the destructions of the protein framework and the hydrophobic enhancement around aromatic amino acids were observed upon binding with SDBS. At last, the toxic effects produced by SDBS on peroxidase activities and Arabidopsis seedlings growth were also characterized. Thus this work may provide insights on the molecular interactions of AtPrxQ with SDBS and assessments on the biological hazards of SDBS to plants even for the agriculture.