Exploring the coupling of inorganic and organic mass spectrometry equipment (HPLC-ESI-MS) and single-cell ICP-MS for the speciomics studies during the application of copper nanoparticles in the soybean callus cultivation

• Grant number: 24/07971-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Zezzi Arruda
• Grantee: Raimundo Rafael Gamela
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/25207-0 - Nanometallomics applied to soybean cultivation for studying the effects of metal-related nanoparticles, AP.TEM

Abstract

Metallomics is an emerging area of omics science that has been growing since its recent conception, which integrates the research related to biometals, in symbiosis with genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Some proteins need metal in their activity centers to develop their precise functions, thus forming metalloproteins or metalloenzymes. They are important in a diversity of biological functions, and, however, some key studies involving how the element (metal or metalloid) is distributed in cellular compartments of a cell, its coordination environment, in which biomolecule is complexed, and, finally, the individual concentrations of the metallic species have an important role in providing integrated information connecting metallomics with others omics. Due to their high surface-to-volume ratio, nanoparticles (NPs) are extremely reactive and catalytic able to pass through cell membranes. They can be present in biological systems and linked to molecules that play different roles in organisms and cells. In this project we will cultivate and develop soybean callus in vitro in culture medium employing CuNPs. However, their interactions with such systems are not yet well known. To attain this task, a suite of cutting-edge analytical techniques, such as high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS) and single cell-ICP-MS are then required for the studies to make sense. HPLC-ESI-MS will be used for the speciomics studies, which bring the possibilities for identifying entire molecular forms of an element and new species such as complex metallobiomolecules and structural information. The single-cell ICP-MS will be used for target analyte, and to provide important information related to toxicity and cellular uptake. All studies will be developed at the Spectrometry, Sample Preparation and Mechanization Group (GEPAM), at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), which has all the infrastructure for the development of the project. In addition, it is expected that, the results will contribute to a better understanding of the influence of CuNPs on the development of soybean callus in vitro, a contribution of nanobiotechnology to achieve the agriculture 4.0 concept.