1
|
Chakraborty S, Elhaj R, Foppen JW, Schijven JF. Dispersion of silica-encapsulated DNA magnetic particles in a homogeneous sand tank. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2024; 266:104410. [PMID: 39067353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2024.104410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we focused on the 3D dispersion of colloids. To our knowledge, we were the first to do so. Thereto, we injected silica encapsulated DNA tagged superparamagnetic particles (SiDNAmag) in a homogeneous coarse grain sand tank. At four downstream locations, SiDNAmag concentrations were determined as a function of time. Longitudinal and transverse dispersivity values and associated uncertainties of SiDNAmag were determined using Monte Carlo modelling approach. The parameter associated uncertainties of hydraulic conductivity as well as of the effective porosity estimated from SiDNAmag breakthrough curves were statistically similar to those estimated from salt tracer breakthrough curves. Further, the SiDNAmag dispersivity uncertainty ranges were then statistically compared with the salt tracer (NaCl, and fluorescein) dispersivities. Our results indicated that time to rise, time of peak concentration and shape of the breakthrough curves of SiDNAmag were similar to those of the salt tracer breakthrough curves. Despite the size difference between the salt tracer molecules and SiDNAmag, size exclusion did not occur, probably due to the large pore throat diameter to SiDNAmag diameter ratio. The median longitudinal dispersivity (αL) of salt tracer and SiDNAmag were 4.9 and 5.8 × 10-4 m, respectively. The median ratio of horizontal and vertical transverse dispersivities to αL, (αTH /αL and αTV /αL, respectively), for salt tracer and SiDNAmag ranged between 0.52 and 0.56. Through the statistical tests, we concluded that the longitudinal and traverse dispersivities of SiDNAmag were not statistically significantly different from salt tracer in 3 dimensions and could be used to characterize the dispersive properties of the medium we used. Our work contributes to a better understanding of 3D dispersion of SiDNAmag in saturated porous media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swagatam Chakraborty
- Environmental Hydrogeology Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Rayan Elhaj
- Department of Water Sciences and Engineering, IHE-Delft, Institution for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Willem Foppen
- Department of Water Sciences and Engineering, IHE-Delft, Institution for Water Education, Westvest 7, 2611 AX Delft, the Netherlands; Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Jack F Schijven
- Environmental Hydrogeology Group, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Statistics, Informatics and Modelling, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Deng J, Li N, Yang S, Qin M, Guo Y, Feng Y, Ye X, Li C. A strategy to build a library of oil tracers by oleophilic silica-encapsulated DNA nanoparticles. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2024; 35:355603. [PMID: 38806006 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ad50db] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Artificially synthesized DNA is involved in the construction of a library of oil tracers due to their unlimited number and no-biological toxicity. The strategy of the construction is proposed by oleophilic Silica-encapsulated DNA nanoparticles, which offers fresh thinking in developing novel tracers, sensors, and molecular machines in engineering & applied sciences based on artificially synthesized DNA blocks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinxin Deng
- College of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Mineral Resources Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Na Li
- College of Energy Resources, State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuangyu Yang
- College of Energy Resources, State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Mei Qin
- College of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Mineral Resources Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuen Guo
- College of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Mineral Resources Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuchen Feng
- College of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Mineral Resources Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinya Ye
- College of Energy Resources, State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Chongying Li
- College of Materials and Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Mineral Resources Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Liu G, Guo L, Wang C, Liu J, Hu Z, Dahlke HE, Xie E, Zhao X, Huang G, Niu J, Fa K, Zhang C, Huo Z. Revealing the infiltration process and retention mechanisms of surface applied free DNA tracer through soil under flood irrigation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167378. [PMID: 37758151 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
It has been recently demonstrated that free DNA tracers have the potential in tracing water flow and contaminant transport through the vadose zone. However, whether the free DNA tracer can be used in flood irrigation area to track water flow and solute/contaminant transport is still unclear. To reveal the infiltration process and retention mechanisms of surface applied free DNA tracer through soil under flood irrigation, we tested the fate and transport behavior of surface applied free DNA tracers through packed saturated sandy soil columns with a 10 cm water head mimicking flood irrigation. From the experimental breakthrough curves and by fitting a two-site kinetic sorption model (R2 = 0.83-0.91 and NSE = 0.79-0.89), adsorption/desorption rates could be obtained and tracer retention profiles could be simulated. Together these results revealed that 1) the adsorption of free DNA was dominantly to clay particles in the soil, which took up 1.96 % by volume, but took up >97.5 % by surface area and densely cover the surface of sand particles; and 2) at a pore water pH of 8.0, excluding the 4.9 % passing through and 3.1 % degradation amount, the main retention mechanisms in the experimental soil were ligand exchange (42.0 %), Van der Waals interactions (mainly hydrogen bonds), electrostatic forces and straining (together 44.7 %), and cation bridge (5.3 %). To our knowledge, this study is the first to quantify the contribution of each of the main retention mechanisms of free synthetic DNA tracers passing through soil. Our findings could facilitate the application of free DNA tracer to trace vadose zone water flow and solute/contaminant transport under flood irrigation and other infiltration conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geng Liu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Linxi Guo
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Chaozi Wang
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jiarong Liu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zengjie Hu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Helen E Dahlke
- Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - En Xie
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xiao Zhao
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Guanhua Huang
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Jun Niu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Keyu Fa
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Chenglong Zhang
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zailin Huo
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Galogahi FM, Christie M, Yadav AS, An H, Stratton H, Nguyen NT. Microfluidic encapsulation of DNAs in liquid beads for digital PCR application. Analyst 2023; 148:4064-4071. [PMID: 37469285 DOI: 10.1039/d3an00868a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidics and digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) hold significant promise for accurately detecting and quantifying pathogens. However, existing droplet-based digital PCR (ddPCR) applications have been relying exclusively on single emulsion droplets. Single emulsion droplets may not be suitable for applications such as identifying the source and pathways of water contamination where the templates must be protected against harsh environmental conditions. In this study, we developed a core-shell particle to serve as a protective framework for DNAs, with potential applications in digital PCR. We employed a high-throughput and facile flow-focusing microfluidic device to generate liquid beads, core-shell particles with liquid cores, which provided precise control over process parameters and consequently particle characteristics. Notably, the interfacial interaction between the core and shell liquids could be adjusted without adding surfactants to either phase. As maintaining stability is essential for ensuring the accuracy of digital PCR (dPCR), we investigated parameters that affect the stability of core-shell droplets, including surfactants in the continuous phase and core density. As a proof of concept, we encapsulated a series of human faecal DNA samples in the core-shell droplets and the subsequent liquid beads. The core-shell particles ensure contamination-free encapsulation of DNA in the core. The volume of the core droplets containing the PCR mixture is only 0.12 nL. Our experimental results indicate that the liquid beads formulated using our technique can amplify the encapsulated DNA and be used for digital PCR without interfering with the fluorescence signal. We successfully demonstrated the ability to detect and quantify DNA under varying concentrations. These findings provide new insights and a step change in digital PCR that could benefit various applications, including the detection and tracking of environmental pollution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fariba Malekpour Galogahi
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| | - Melody Christie
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| | - Ajeet Singh Yadav
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| | - Hongjie An
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| | - Helen Stratton
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| | - Nam-Trung Nguyen
- Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Van Bavel N, Issler T, Pang L, Anikovskiy M, Prenner EJ. A Simple Method for Synthesis of Chitosan Nanoparticles with Ionic Gelation and Homogenization. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28114328. [PMID: 37298804 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28114328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) are known to have great utility in many fields (pharmaceutical, agricultural, food industry, wastewater treatment, etc.). In this study we aimed to synthesize sub-100 nm CNPs as a precursor of new biopolymer-based virus surrogates for water applications. We present a simple yet efficient synthesis procedure for obtaining high yield, monodisperse CNPs with size 68-77 nm. The CNPs were synthesized by ionic gelation using low molecular weight chitosan (deacetylation 75-85%) and tripolyphosphate as crosslinker, under rigorous homogenization to decrease size and increase uniformity, and purified by passing through 0.1 μm polyethersulfone syringe filters. The CNPs were characterized using dynamic light scattering, tunable resistive pulse sensing, and scanning electron microscopy. We demonstrate reproducibility of this method at two separate facilities. The effects of pH, ionic strength and three different purification methods on the size and polydispersity of CNP formation were examined. Larger CNPs (95-219) were produced under ionic strength and pH controls, and when purified using ultracentrifugation or size exclusion chromatography. Smaller CNPs (68-77 nm) were formulated using homogenization and filtration, and could readily interact with negatively charge proteins and DNA, making them an ideal precursor for the development of DNA-labelled, protein-coated virus surrogates for environmental water applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Van Bavel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Travis Issler
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Liping Pang
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, P.O. Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| | - Max Anikovskiy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Elmar J Prenner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Pang L, Heiligenthal L, Premaratne A, Hanning KR, Abraham P, Sutton R, Hadfield J, Billington C. Degradation and adsorption of synthetic DNA water tracers in environmental matrices. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:157146. [PMID: 35798098 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic DNA tracers are gaining interest as tools for tracking contamination pathways and hydraulic connections in surface water and groundwater systems. However, few quantitative data exist that describe DNA tracer degradation and adsorption in environmental matrices. We undertook laboratory experiments to quantify the degradation of multiple double-stranded DNA tracers in stream water, groundwater, and domestic and dairy-shed effluent, and adsorption to stream sediments, soils, coastal sand aquifer media and alluvial sandy gravel aquifer media. Faster DNA tracer degradation seemed to be associated with high bacterial concentrations in the liquid phase. Overall, the degradation of the 352 base pair (bp) DNA tracers in the aqueous phase was significantly (P = 0.018) slower than that of the 302 bp DNA tracers. Although the tracers' internal amplicon lengths were similar, the longer non-amplified flanking regions of the 352 bp tracers may better protect them from environmental degradation. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that longer flanking regions contribute to greater tracer stability. This finding may explain our previous field observations that 352 bp tracer mass reductions were often lower than 302 bp tracer mass reductions. The 2 sets of DNA tracers did not differ significantly regarding their adsorption to stream sediment-stream water or aquifer media-groundwater mixtures (P > 0.067), but the 352 bp tracers showed significantly less adsorption to soil-effluent mixtures than the 302 bp tracers (P = 0.005). The DNA tracers' adsorption to soil-effluent mixtures was comparatively less than their adsorption to the aquifer media-groundwater and stream sediment-stream water mixtures, suggesting that DNA tracers may compete with like-charged organic matter for adsorption sites. These findings provide insights into the fate of DNA tracers in the environment. The DNA tracers' degradation rate constants determined in this study for a range of environmental conditions could assist the design of future field investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liping Pang
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand.
| | - Laura Heiligenthal
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| | - Aruni Premaratne
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| | - Kyrin R Hanning
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Phillip Abraham
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| | - Richard Sutton
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| | - John Hadfield
- Waikato Regional Council, Private Bag 3038, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Craig Billington
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, PO Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wang C, Liu G, McNew CP, Volkmann THM, Pangle L, Troch PA, Lyon SW, Kim M, Huo Z, Dahlke HE. Simulation of experimental synthetic DNA tracer transport through the vadose zone. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:119009. [PMID: 36037713 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although multiple experimental studies have proven the use of free synthetic DNA as tracers in hydrological systems, their quantitative fate and transport, especially through the vadose zone, is still not well understood. Here we simulate the water flow and breakthrough of deuterium (D) and one free synthetic DNA tracer from a 10-day experiment conducted in a transient variably saturated 1m3 10° sloped lysimeter using the HYDRUS-2D software package. Recovery and breakthrough flux of D (97.78%) and the DNA tracer (1.05%) were captured well with the advection-dispersion equation (R2 = 0.949, NSE = 0.937) and the Schijven and Šimůnek two-site kinetic sorption model recommended for virus transport modeling (R2 = 0.824, NSE = 0.823), respectively. The degradation of the DNA tracer was very slow (estimated to be 10% in 10 days), because the "loamy sand" porous media in our lysimeter was freshly crushed basaltic tephra (i.e., crushed rocks) and the microbes and DNase that could potentially degrade DNA in regular soils were rare in our "loamy sand". The timing of the concentration peaks and the HYDRUS-2D simulated temporal and spatial distribution of DNA in the lysimeter both revealed the role of the solid-water-air contact lines in mobilizing and carrying DNA tracer under the experimental variably saturated transient flow condition. The free DNA was nearly non-selectively transported through the porous media, and showed a slightly early breakthrough, possibly due to a slight effect of anion exclusion or size exclusion. Our results indicate that free DNA have the potential to trace vadose zone water flow and solute/contaminant transport, and to serve as surrogates to trace viral pathogen pollution in soil-water systems. To our knowledge, this study is the first to simulate transport mechanisms of free synthetic DNA tracers through real soil textured porous media under variably saturated transient flow condition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chaozi Wang
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Geng Liu
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Coy P McNew
- Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | | | - Luke Pangle
- Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Peter A Troch
- Biosphere2, University of Arizona, Oracle, AZ 85739, USA; Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Steven W Lyon
- The Nature Conservancy Southern New Jersey Office, Delmont, NJ 08314, USA; Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Minseok Kim
- Biosphere2, University of Arizona, Oracle, AZ 85739, USA; Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Zailin Huo
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Helen E Dahlke
- Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Peng B, Liao P, Jiang Y. Preferential interactions of surface-bound engineered single stranded DNA with highly aromatic natural organic matter: Mechanistic insights and implications for optimizing practical aquatic applications. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:119015. [PMID: 36044796 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Engineered short-chain single stranded DNA (ssDNA) are emerging materials with various environmental applications, such as aptasensor, selective adsorbent, and hydrological tracer. However, the lack of fundamental understanding on the interactions of such materials with natural organic matter (NOM) hinders the improvement of their application performance in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and stability. In this study, we investigated the interactions of ssDNA (four strands with systematically varied length and sequence) with two humic acids (Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) and Aldrich humic acid (AHA)) and two humic-like NOM present in local aquatic matrices (ROM in river water and WOM in wastewater). Detailed, molecular level interaction mechanisms were obtained by probing the colloidal stability of the ssDNA-coated gold nanoparticles, coupled with product characterization using a suite of microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Our study revealed that π-π interactions and divalent cation bridging were the major mechanisms for ssDNA-NOM interactions. ssDNA preferentially interacted with NOM with high aromaticity (AHA > SRHA/WOM/ROM). With divalent cations present (especially Ca2+), even a small amount of AHA could completely shield ssDNA, whereas the extent of shielding by SRHA/WOM/ROM depended on the relative content of ssDNA and NOM and whether bridges formed. The extent of shielding of ssDNA by NOM provides a potential answer to the reported conflicting effects of natural water matrices on the performance of DNA-based sensors. Taken together, our findings provide insights into the transformations of engineered ssDNA under environmentally relevant conditions as well as implications for their performance optimization in practical aquatic applications (e.g., from DNA design to pretreatment strategy).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Peng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Peng Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99 Lingcheng West Road, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Yi Jiang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Use of a Novel DNA-Loaded Alginate-Calcium Carbonate Biopolymer Surrogate to Study the Engulfment of Legionella pneumophila by Acanthamoeba polyphaga in Water Systems. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0221022. [PMID: 35950853 PMCID: PMC9430812 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02210-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The engulfment of Legionella pneumophila by free-living amoebae (FLA) in engineered water systems (EWS) enhances L. pneumophila persistence and provides a vehicle for rapid replication and increased public health risk. Despite numerous legionellosis outbreaks worldwide, effective tools for studying interactions between L. pneumophila and FLA in EWS are lacking. To address this, we have developed a biopolymer surrogate with a similar size, shape, surface charge, and hydrophobicity to those of stationary-phase L. pneumophila. Parallel experiments were conducted to observe the engulfment of L. pneumophila and the surrogate by Acanthamoeba polyphaga in dechlorinated, filter-sterilised tap water at 30°C for 72 h. Trophozoites engulfed both the surrogate and L. pneumophila, reaching maximum uptake after 2 and 6 h, respectively, but the peak surrogate uptake was ~2-log lower. Expulsion of the engulfed surrogate from A. polyphaga was also faster compared to that of L. pneumophila. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that the surrogate was actively engulfed and maintained within vacuoles for several hours before being expelled. L. pneumophila and surrogate phagocytosis appear to follow similar pathways, suggesting that the surrogate can be developed as a useful tool for studying interactions between L. pneumophila and FLA in EWS. IMPORTANCE The internalization of L. pneumophila within amoebae is a critical component of their life cycle in EWS, as it protects the bacteria from commonly used water disinfectants and provides a niche for their replication. Intracellularly replicated forms of L. pneumophila are also more virulent and resistant to sanitizers. Most importantly, the bacteria’s adaptation to the intracellular environments of amoebae primes them for the infection of human macrophages, posing a significant public health risk in EWS. The significance of our study is that a newly developed L. pneumophila biopolymer surrogate can mimic the L. pneumophila engulfment process in A. polyphaga, a free-living amoeba. With further development, the surrogate has the potential to improve the understanding of amoeba-mediated L. pneumophila persistence in EWS and the associated public health risk management.
Collapse
|
10
|
Ariyadasa S, Daear W, Abeysekera G, Billington C, Fee C, Prenner E, Pang L. Evaluation of Biopolymer Materials and Synthesis Techniques to Develop a Rod-Shaped Biopolymer Surrogate for Legionella pneumophila. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14132571. [PMID: 35808617 PMCID: PMC9269393 DOI: 10.3390/polym14132571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biopolymer microparticles have been developed for applications that require biocompatibility and biodegradability, such as drug delivery. In this study, we assessed the production of microparticles using carnauba wax, κ-carrageenan, alginate, and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) with the aim of developing a novel, DNA-tracer-loaded, biopolymer surrogate with a size, shape, surface charge, and relative hydrophobicity similar to stationary-phase Legionella pneumophila to mimic the bacteria’s mobility and persistence in engineered water systems. We found that the type and concentration of biopolymer, reaction conditions, and synthesis methods affected the morphology, surface charge, relative hydrophobicity, and DNA tracer loading efficiency of the biopolymer microparticles produced. Carnauba wax, κ-carrageenan, and alginate (Protanal®, and low and medium viscosity) produced highly polydisperse microspheres. In contrast, PLGA and alginate-CaCO3 produced uniform microspheres and rod-shaped microparticles, respectively, with high DNA tracer loading efficiencies (PLGA 70% and alginate-CaCO3 95.2 ± 5.7%) and high reproducibilities. Their synthesis reproducibility was relatively high. The relative hydrophobicity of PLGA microspheres closely matched the cell surface hydrophobicity of L. pneumophila but not the bacterial morphology, whereas the polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer assembly was required to enhance the relative hydrophobicity of alginate-CaCO3 microparticles. Following this surface modification, alginate-CaCO3 microparticles represented the best match to L. pneumophila in size, morphology, surface charge, and relative hydrophobicity. This new biopolymer surrogate has the potential to be used as a mimic to study the mobility and persistence of L. pneumophila in water systems where the use of the pathogen is impractical and unsafe.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sujani Ariyadasa
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, P.O. Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand; (G.A.); (C.B.); (L.P.)
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +64-3351-6019
| | - Weiam Daear
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; (W.D.); (E.P.)
| | - Gayan Abeysekera
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, P.O. Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand; (G.A.); (C.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Craig Billington
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, P.O. Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand; (G.A.); (C.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Conan Fee
- School of Product Design, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand;
- Biomolecular Interaction Centre, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Elmar Prenner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada; (W.D.); (E.P.)
| | - Liping Pang
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research, P.O. Box 29181, Christchurch 8540, New Zealand; (G.A.); (C.B.); (L.P.)
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Tang Y, Foppen JW, Bogaard TA. Transport of silica encapsulated DNA microparticles in controlled instantaneous injection open channel experiments. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2021; 242:103880. [PMID: 34450527 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Surface water tracing is a widely used technique to investigate in-stream mass transport including contaminant migration. Recently, a microparticle tracer was developed with unique synthetic DNA encapsulated in an environmentally-friendly silica coating (Si-DNA microparticle). Previous tracing applications of such tracers reported detection and quantification, but a massive loss of tracer mass. However, the transport behavior of these DNA-tagged microparticle tracers has not been rigorously quantified and compared with that of solute tracers. Therefore, we compared the transport behavior of Si-DNA microparticles to the behavior of solute NaCl in 6 different, environmentally representative water types using breakthrough curves (BTCs), obtained from laboratory open channel injection experiments, whereby no Si-DNA microparticle tracer mass was lost. Hereafter, we modelled the BTCs using a 1-D advection-dispersion model with one transient storage zone (OTIS) by calibrating the hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient D and a storage zone exchange rate coefficient. We concluded that the transport behavior of Si-DNA microparticles resembled that of NaCl in surface-water relevant conditions, evidenced by BTCs with a similar range of D; however, the Si-DNA microparticle had a more erratic BTC than its solute counterpart, whereby the scatter increased as a function of water quality complexity. The overall larger confidence interval of DSi-DNA was attributed to the discrete nature of colloidal particles with a certain particle size distribution and possibly minor shear-induced aggregations. This research established a solid methodological foundation for field application of Si-DNA microparticles in surface water tracing, providing insight in transport behavior of equivalent sized and mass particles in rivers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Tang
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
| | - Jan Willem Foppen
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands; IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Delft, Netherlands.
| | - Thom A Bogaard
- Water Resource Section, Department of Civil Engineering and Geoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|