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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.11.03.686200

The emerging contaminant Cl-PFESA/F-53B is toxic to meiotic cell division and reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana

Chen, Y.·Cui, X.·Ren, Z.·Fu, H.·Luo, Y.·Xu, L.·Song, Z.·Qin, Y.·Yu, G.·Lei, X.·Liu, B.
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Abstract

The emerging contaminant Cl-PFESA/F-53B damages vegetative development in plants and has been evidenced to be toxic to both mitotic and meiotic cells in animals. We have recently reported that F-53B induces nuclei unviability in meristematic cells leading to disrupted root development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). However, the toxicity of F-53B to reproductive system in plants remains unelucidated. In this study, by using cytogenetic and microscopic approaches, we analyzed embryo and anther development and multiple meiosis processes in Arabidopsis exposed to 50 or 100 M F-53B. We showed that F-53B disrupts embryo development which results in reduced seed setting in Arabidopsis. Histochemical staining of anthers and a live-imaging assay using a reporter line that expresses GFP-tagged Aborted Microspores (AMS), a key regulator of the tapetum, demonstrated that F-53B impairs anther development. Moreover, we showed that F-53B interferes with chromosome segregation and/or distribution and alters microtubule organization during male meiosis. Quantification of the chiasmata and immunolocalization of the Human Enhancer of Invasion 10 (HEI10) protein on diakinesis chromosomes suggested that F-53B reduces crossover rate. Furthermore, F-53B reduced the number of DNA Meiotic Recombinase 1 (DMC1) protein foci on zygotene chromosomes in Arabidopsis wild-type Columbia-0 (Col-0), and it partially promoted meiotic chromosome integrity in Arabidopsis depleted with Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM), a central regulator of DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, which suggested that F-53B reduces meiotic DSB formation. Taken together, our study reveals the toxicity of F-53B to meiotic cells and reproduction in Arabidopsis, which highlights its potential threats to agricultural safety and ecological diversity. HighlightO_LIF-53B impairs embryo and anther development in Arabidopsis. C_LIO_LIF-53B interferes with chromosome segregation and distribution during male meiosis. C_LIO_LIF-53B interferes with meiotic microtubule organization. C_LIO_LIF-53B reduces meiotic crossover formation. C_LIO_LIF-53B reduces DNA double-strand breaks in meiocytes. C_LI

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Chen, Y., Cui, X., Ren, Z., Fu, H., Luo, Y., Xu, L., Song, Z., Qin, Y., Yu, G., Lei, X., Liu, B.. 2025-11-05. The emerging contaminant Cl-PFESA/F-53B is toxic to meiotic cell division and reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.03.686200

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