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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Toxicol.
Sec. Environmental Toxicology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ftox.2024.1479549
This article is part of the Research Topic Legacy & Emerging Contaminants in the Aquatic Environment View all 11 articles

Heterogenous Bioluminescence Patterns, Cell Viability, and Biofilm Formation of Photobacterium leiognathi Strains Exposed to Ground Microplastics

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
  • 2 Khalifa Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in various aquatic environments and negatively affect organisms, including marine luminous bacteria. This study investigated the differences in bioluminescence patterns, cell viability, and biofilm formation of Photobacterium leiognathi strains (LB01 and LB09) when exposed to various concentrations of ground microplastics (GMPs; 0.25%, 0.50%, 1%, or 2% [w/v] per mL) at 22°C or 30°C for 3.1 days (75 h) and 7 days. The strains exhibited heterogenous responses, including variable bioluminescence patterns, cell viability, and biofilm formation, due to the GMPs having effects such as hormesis and bioluminescence quenching. Moreover, the bioluminescence and cell viability differed between the two strains, possibly involving distinct cellular mechanisms, suggesting that GMPs affect factors that influence quorum sensing. Furthermore, it was observed that the biofilm formation of LB01 and LB09 following exposure to GMPs. Both strains showed increased biofilm formation at higher GMP concentrations (1% and 2%) after 3.1 days at 30°C and 22°C. However, in the 7-day experiment, LB01 significantly (p < 0.05) increased biofilms at 22°C, while LB09 significantly (p < 0.05) produced biofilms at 30°C. These findings highlight the strain-specific responses of Phb. leiognathi to MP pollutants. Therefore, this study underscores the importance of evaluating MPs as environmental stressors on marine microorganisms and their role in the ecophysiological repercussions of plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

    Keywords: Plastic pollution, Quorum Sensing, Luminous bacteria, Hormesis, Ecophysiology

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 30 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 De Jesus, Iqbal, Mundra and Alkendi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rener De Jesus, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates

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