The roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in plants grown in biosolids-amended soils
Open accessAbstract
The roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in seven species of plants from biosolids-amended soils were investigated. The PFOS and PFOA root concentration factors (Croot/Csoil) ranged from 1.37 to 4.68 and 1.69 to 10.3 (ng/groot)/(ng/gsoil), respectively, while the translocation factors (Cshoot/Croot) ranged from 0.055 to 0.16 and 0.093 to 1.8 (ng/gshoot)/(ng/groot), respectively. The PFOS and PFOA accumulations in roots correlated positively with root protein contents (P < 0.05), while negatively with root lipid contents (P < 0.05). These suggested the promotion effects of protein and inhibition effects of lipid on root uptake. The translocation factors correlated positively with the ratios between protein contents in shoots to those in roots (P < 0.05), showing the importance of protein on PFOS and PFOA translocation. This study is the first to reveal the different roles of protein and lipid in the accumulation and distribution of PFOS and PFOA in plants.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Most plants retain PFAS in roots to mitigate phytotoxicity for shoots.
“most plants retain PFAS in roots to mitigate phytotoxicity for shoots25–28”
From Identification of a PFAS hyperaccumulator and elucidation of its translocation mechanism for sustainable phytoremediation (2025) · cites this paper as [27]
PFAS bioaccumulation is positively correlated with root protein content, while translocation to aboveground tissues is linked to the shoot-to-root protein ratio.
“PFAS bioaccumulation has also been positively correlated with root protein content, while translocation to aboveground tissues has been linked to the shoot-to-root protein ratio [26,28].”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The difference in lipid/protein correlations between studies could be attributed to types of plants evaluated and inherent differences in tissue composition.
“This difference could be attributed to the types of plants evaluated in each study, terrestrial crops [28] and weeds [26] versus Australian native wetland species in the current study, and the inherent differences in tissue composition.”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The current study showed lower lipid contents (up to 1.5% in roots and 3.6% in shoots) than Wen et al. (up to 5.4% in roots and 12.3% in shoots).
“For instance, Wen et al. [28] reported lipid concentrations in crops up to 5.4% in roots and 12.3% in shoots, while the current study showed lower lipid contents (up to 1.5% in roots and 3.6% in shoots).”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The present study used a hydroponic stormwater growing system, which may have influenced plant physiology and biochemical composition.
“Further, while previous studies were conducted using soil [26,28], the present study used a hydroponic stormwater growing system, which may have influenced plant physiology and biochemical composition.”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
Protein contents reported by Wen et al. were higher than those measured across the wetland taxa in the current study.
“Protein contents reported by Wen et al. [28] were also higher (3.35% to 10.4% in roots and 6.37% to 29.1% in shoots) than those measured across the wetland taxa evaluated in the current study (1.6% to 6.1% in roots and 1.3% to 11.2% in shoots).”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
Higher protein content in either shoots or roots would indicate higher potential to accumulate PFAS in these compartments, which was not observed in the current study.
“These studies suggest that higher protein content in either shoots or roots would indicate higher potential to accumulate PFAS in these compartments, which was not observed in our study.”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
The negative relationship observed between PFOS shoot concentration and total protein content in shoots contrasts with results from Wen et al.
“The negative relationship observed between PFOS shoot concentration and total protein content in shoots contrasts with results from Wen et al. [28], who conducted a greenhouse pot experiment by exposing seven common crop species to soil contaminated with PFOS and PFOA (154 and 416 ng/g, respectively) for 45 days, followed by PFAS and lipids / protein content analysis in shoots and roots.”
From Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species (2026) · cites this paper as [28]
Cites
Sepulvado, J. G., Blaine, A. C., Hundal, L. S., & Higgins, C. P. (2011) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es103903d · Cited by 399 · see citing works
Bioaccumulation of Perfluorinated Alkyl Acids: Observations and Models
Ng, C. A., & Hungerbühler, K. (2014) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es404008g · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Blaine, A. C., Rich, C. D., Hundal, L. S., Lau, C., Mills, M. A., Harris, K. M., & Higgins, C. P. (2013) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es403094q · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Blaine, A. C., Rich, C. D., Sedlacko, E. M., Hundal, L. S., Kumar, K., Lau, C., Mills, M. A., Harris, K. M., & Higgins, C. P. (2014) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es500016s · Cited by 323 · see citing works
Wastewater Treatment Plant and Landfills as Sources of Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds to the Atmosphere
Ahrens, L., Shoeib, M., Harner, T., Lee, S. C., Guo, R., & Reiner, E. J. (2011) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es1036173 · Cited by 301 · see citing works
Zhang, L., Ren, X.-M., & Guo, L.-H. (2013) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es4026722 · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Washington, J. W., Yoo, H., Ellington, J. J., Jenkins, T. M., & Libelo, E. L. (2010) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es1003846 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Dreyer, A., Weinberg, I., Temme, C., & Ebinghaus, R. (2009) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es9010465 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Noncovalent Interactions of Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Acids with Serum Albumin
Bischel, H. N., MacManus-Spencer, L. A., & Luthy, R. G. (2010) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/es101334s · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Bischel, H. N., MacManus-Spencer, L. A., Zhang, C., & Luthy, R. G. (2011) · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry · doi:10.1002/etc.647 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Vierke, L., Ahrens, L., Shoeib, M., Palm, W.-U., Webster, E. M., Ellis, D. A., Ebinghaus, R., & Harner, T. (2013) · Chemosphere · doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.02.067 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sunderland, E. M., Hu, X. C., Dassuncao, C., Tokranov, A. K., Wagner, C. C., & Allen, J. G. (2019) · Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology · doi:10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1 · Cited by 2,786 · see citing works
Self-citationAccumulation of perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in agricultural plants: A review
Ghisi, R., Vamerali, T., & Manzetti, S. (2019) · Environmental Research · doi:10.1016/j.envres.2018.10.023 · Cited by 705 · see citing works
Extending the knowledge about PFAS bioaccumulation factors for agricultural plants – A review
Lesmeister, L., Lange, F. T., Breuer, J., Biegel-Engler, A., Giese, E., & Scheurer, M. (2021) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142640 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Dalahmeh, S., Tirgani, S., Komakech, A. J., Niwagaba, C. B., & Ahrens, L. (2018) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.024 · Cited by 262 · see citing works
Mei, W., Sun, H., Song, M., Jiang, L., Li, Y., Lu, W., Ying, G.-G., Luo, C., & Zhang, G. (2021) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2021.106642 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Bolan, N., Sarkar, B., Vithanage, M., Singh, G., Tsang, D. C. W., Mukhopadhyay, R., Ramadass, K., Vinu, A., Sun, Y., Ramanayaka, S., et al. (2021) · Environment International · doi:10.1016/j.envint.2021.106600 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the vadose zone
Sharifan, H., Bagheri, M., Wang, D., Burken, J. G., Higgins, C. P., Liang, Y., Liu, J., Schaefer, C. E., & Blotevogel, J. (2021) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145427 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Xu, B., Qiu, W., Du, J., Wan, Z., Zhou, J. L., Chen, H., Liu, R., Magnuson, J. T., & Zheng, C. (2022) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.104061 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Qian, S., Lu, H., Xiong, T., Zhi, Y., Munoz, G., Zhang, C., Li, Z., Liu, C., Li, W., Wang, X., et al. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.2c06883 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Xu, C., Song, X., Liu, Z., Ding, X., Chen, H., & Ding, D. (2021) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145731 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
He, Q., Yan, Z., Qian, S., Xiong, T., Grieger, K. D., Wang, X., Liu, C., & Zhi, Y. (2023) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131492 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
McGarr, J. T., Mbonimpa, E. G., McAvoy, D. C., & Soltanian, M. R. (2023) · Soil Systems · doi:10.3390/soilsystems7020053 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Mechanism and implication of the sorption of perfluorooctanoic acid by varying soil size fractions
Xiang, L., Xiao, T., Yu, P.-F., Zhao, H.-M., Mo, C.-H., Li, Y.-W., Li, H., Cai, Q.-Y., Zhou, D.-M., & Wong, M.-H. (2018) · Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03492 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Uptake of perfluorinated alkyl acids by crops: results from a field study
Felizeter, S., Jürling, H., Kotthoff, M., De Voogt, P., & McLachlan, M. S. (2021) · Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts · doi:10.1039/d1em00166c · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Chen, L., Chen, D., Zhou, S., Lin, J., Liu, Y., Huang, X., Lin, Q., Morel, J. L., Ni, Z., Wang, S., et al. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.2c09226 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Self-citationXing, Y., Li, Q., Chen, X., Huang, B., Ji, L., Zhang, Q., Fu, X., Li, T., & Wang, J. (2023) · Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06283 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Groffen, T., Prinsen, E., Devos Stoffels, O.-A., Maas, L., Vincke, P., Lasters, R., Eens, M., & Bervoets, L. (2022) · Environmental Science and Pollution Research · doi:10.1007/s11356-022-23799-8 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Contamination of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances in agricultural soils: A review
Biswas, B., Joseph, A., Parveen, N., Ranjan, V. P., Goel, S., Mandal, J., & Srivastava, P. (2025) · Journal of Environmental Management · doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124993 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Xu, J., Cui, Q., Ren, H., Liu, S., Liu, Z., Sun, X., Sun, H., Shang, J., & Tan, W. (2024) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175205 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Marzi, D., Valente, F., Luche, S., Caissutti, C., Sabia, A., Capitani, I., Capobianco, G., Serranti, S., Masi, A., Panozzo, A., et al. (2025) · Science of The Total Environment · doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178323 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Guo, X., Zhang, X., Chen, J., Shan, W., Wang, R., Wang, K., Chen, Z., Wang, L., & Zhang, Y. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-65191-3 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Field assessment of a constructed wetland for stormwater treatment: A focus on PFAS management
Awad, J., Silva, H. C., Navarro, D., Blotevogel, E., Juhasz, A., & Kirby, J. (2026) · Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances · doi:10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101092 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Influence of root morphology and salinity on PFAS uptake by ten Australian wetland plant species
Silva, H. C., Awad, J., Navarro, D., Myers, B., & Juhasz, A. (2026) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143885
- Authors
- Wen, B., Wu, Y., Zhang, H., Liu, Y., Hu, X., Huang, H., & Zhang, S.
- Affiliations
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Wen, Bei
- Venue
- Environmental Pollution
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-09
- Volume
- 216
- Pages
- 682-688
- ISSN
- 0269-7491 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2467077856
- Cited by
- 229
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 30 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 8.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- ir.rcees.ac.cn
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-sa
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- Locations
- Environmental Pollution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences OpenIR (Chinese Academy of Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation (21537005, 41371460, 21321004)
- Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB14020202)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Keywords
- PFOS, perfluorooctanoic acid, biosolids-amended soil, plant uptake, root proteins, translocation factor, root concentration factor, plant tissue distribution, perfluorinated compounds, phytoremediation
- MeSH terms
- Biological Transport, Caprylates, Fluorocarbons, Plant Proteins, Plants, Soil, Soil Pollutants, Alkanesulfonic Acids, Plant Roots, Lipid Metabolism
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
