Perfluorinated alkyl substances affect the growth, physiology and root proteome of hydroponically grown maize plants

Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of persistent organic pollutants. Plants can accumulate PFAS but their effect on plant physiology at the molecular level is not understood yet. We used hydroponically-grown maize plants treated with a combination of eleven different PFAS (each at 100 µg L-1) to investigate their bioaccumulation and effects on the growth, physiology and their impact on the root proteome. From the root proteome analysis, we identified 75 differentially abundant proteins, mostly involved in cellular metabolic and biosynthetic processes, translation and cytoskeletal reorganization. Results were validated using quantitative real-time PCR and further substantiated using amino acid and fatty acid profiling.