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Färkkilä SMA, Mortimer M, Jaaniso R, Kahru A, Kiisk V, Kikas A, Kozlova J, Kurvet I, Mäeorg U, Otsus M, Kasemets K. Comparison of Toxicity and Cellular Uptake of CdSe/ZnS and Carbon Quantum Dots for Molecular Tracking Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Fungal Model. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 14:10. [PMID: 38202465 PMCID: PMC10781119 DOI: 10.3390/nano14010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Plant resource sharing mediated by mycorrhizal fungi has been a subject of recent debate, largely owing to the limitations of previously used isotopic tracking methods. Although CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) have been successfully used for in situ tracking of essential nutrients in plant-fungal systems, the Cd-containing QDs, due to the intrinsic toxic nature of Cd, are not a viable system for larger-scale in situ studies. We synthesized amino acid-based carbon quantum dots (CQDs; average hydrodynamic size 6 ± 3 nm, zeta potential -19 ± 12 mV) and compared their toxicity and uptake with commercial CdSe/ZnS QDs that we conjugated with the amino acid cysteine (Cys) (average hydrodynamic size 308 ± 150 nm, zeta potential -65 ± 4 mV) using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a proxy for mycorrhizal fungi. We showed that the CQDs readily entered yeast cells and were non-toxic up to 100 mg/L. While the Cys-conjugated CdSe/ZnS QDs were also not toxic to yeast cells up to 100 mg/L, they were not taken up into the cells but remained on the cell surfaces. These findings suggest that CQDs may be a suitable tool for molecular tracking in fungi (incl. mychorrhizal fungi) due to their ability to enter fungal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanni M. A. Färkkilä
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Juhan Liivi 2, 50409 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Monika Mortimer
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.K.); (I.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Raivo Jaaniso
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (R.J.); (V.K.); (A.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Anne Kahru
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.K.); (I.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Valter Kiisk
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (R.J.); (V.K.); (A.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Arvo Kikas
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (R.J.); (V.K.); (A.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Jekaterina Kozlova
- Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia; (R.J.); (V.K.); (A.K.); (J.K.)
| | - Imbi Kurvet
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.K.); (I.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Uno Mäeorg
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Ravila 14a, 50411 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Maarja Otsus
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.K.); (I.K.); (M.O.)
| | - Kaja Kasemets
- Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Akadeemia tee 23, 12618 Tallinn, Estonia; (M.M.); (A.K.); (I.K.); (M.O.)
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