Impact of aerosols and atmospheric particles on plant leaf proteins

- We obtain atmospheric particles and aerosols data from 2007 to 2012.
- Strong and weak diffuse solar radiation regions are classified.
- Aerosols and atmospheric particles stimulate plant photosynthesis.

Aerosols and atmospheric particles can diffuse and absorb solar radiation, and directly affect plant photosynthesis and related protein expression. In this study, for the first time, we performed an extensive investigation of the effects of aerosols and atmospheric particles on plant leaf proteins by combining Geographic Information System and proteomic approaches. Data on particles with diameters of 0.1-1.0 μm (PM1) from different locations across the city of Beijing and the aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the past 6 years (2007-2012) were collected. In order to make the study more reliable, we segregated the influence of soil pollution by measuring the heavy metal content. On the basis of AOD and PM1, two regions corresponding to strong and weak diffuse solar radiations were selected for analyzing the changes in the expression of plant proteins. Our results demonstrated that in areas with strong diffuse solar radiations, plant ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase was expressed at higher levels, but oxygen evolved in enhancer protein and light-harvesting complex II protein were expressed at lower levels. The expression of ATP synthase subunit beta and chlorophyll a-b binding protein were similar in both regions. By analyzing the changes in the expression of these leaf proteins and their functions, we conclude that aerosols and atmospheric particles stimulate plant photosynthesis facilitated by diffuse solar radiations.