Abstract
The effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a prevalent endocrine disruptor, on both interphase and mitotic microtubule array organization was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy in meristematic root cells of Triticum turgidum (durum wheat) and Allium cepa (onion). In interphase cells of A. cepa, BPA treatment resulted in substitution of cortical microtubules by annular/spiral tubulin structures, while in T. turgidum BPA induced cortical microtubule fragmentation. Immunolocalization of acetylated α-tubulin revealed that cortical microtubules of T. turgidum were highly acetylated, unlike those of A. cepa. In addition, elevation of tubulin acetylation by trichostatin A in A. cepa resulted in microtubule disruption similar to that observed in T. turgidum. BPA also disrupted all mitotic microtubule arrays in both species. It is also worth noting that mitotic microtubule arrays were acetylated in both plants. As assessed by BPA removal, its effects are reversible. Furthermore, taxol-stabilized microtubules were resistant to BPA, while recovery from oryzalin treatment in BPA solution resulted in the formation of ring-like tubulin conformations. Overall, these findings indicate the following: (1) BPA affects plant mitosis/cytokinesis by disrupting microtubule organization. (2) Microtubule disassembly probably results from impairment of free tubulin subunit polymerization. (3) The differences in cortical microtubule responses to BPA among the species studied are correlated to the degree of tubulin acetylation.
Highlights
Worldwide production of plastic materials has escalated over the past few decades, rendering plastic pollution a threat for human and wildlife health [1]
In T. turgidum roots treated with 50 mg/L bisphenol A (BPA) for 1 h, cortical microtubules of interphase cells seemed to be depolymerized (Figure 1B)
BPA is a disruptor of mitosis/cytokinesis in a wide variety of plants
Summary
Worldwide production of plastic materials has escalated over the past few decades, rendering plastic pollution a threat for human and wildlife health [1]. From the macroto nano-scale, plastics consist of different polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polystyrene. Because of their large molecular size, polymers are usually considered to be biologically inert. Because polymerization reactions are seldom complete, residual monomers or small oligomers can be found in plastic materials [3]. Their amounts may span from a few parts per million to several percentages depending on the polymer type and manufacturing process. Some of the monomers used, such as ethylene and propylene, are not considered hazardous, whereas others, such as vinyl chloride, styrene, and bisphenol A, pose risks to the biome [4]
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