Analysis of stress resistance genes in birch plants after exposure to carbon nanotubes

In the last decade, active work has also been underway to study the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), which are easier to produce and cheaper than SWCNTs, on biological systems. Woody plants are one of the most widespread biological objects on the planet, and therefore identifying the influence of various nanomaterials on them is a very urgent task. Therefore, the goal of the work is to determine the effect of multi-walled nanotubes in different concentrations on the stress resistance genes of two species of woody plants Betula pubescens Ehrh. and B. pendula Roth. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes were used in the study, and solutions were prepared using dispersion on a Sonicator Q500 ultrasonic homogenizer. Solutions with MWCNT concentrations of 1, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L were prepared. The sprouts were kept in a greenhouse with a temperature maintained at 27/17 °C day/night and a relative humidity of at least 85%. Plants were treated with nanotube solutions once, after which growth parameters and activity of genes responsible for the response to stress were determined.The expression of stress tolerance genes DREB2 and PR-10 increased significantly under the influence of 1 mg/L MWCNTs in plants of both species. Increasing the concentration to 100 mg/L had an inhibitory effect on downy birch plants, which was reflected in a decrease in growth performance and expression of the DREB2 and PAL genes. The study allows us to identify species differences in the sensitivity of different birch genotypes to the effects of MWCNTs and opens up new prospects for the use of carbon nanotubes in the field of biotechnology.