(393g) Award Submission: Real-Time Detection of H2O2 Signaling in Wild-Type Plants with Nanobionics Approach

As a consequence of their sessile nature, plants have developed complex signaling mechanisms to cope with the highly dynamic environment that they live in. Recent studies revealed that in response to external stimuli, plants can utilize various signaling pathways for cell-to-cell communication to engage different metabolic and genetic machineries involved in the plant defense system. Among the many signaling molecules uncovered, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) represents one of the most versatile signaling molecules in plants in response to environmental stresses such as mechanical wounding. Herein, we develop a nanomaterial-based approach, termed plant nanobionics, using single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-based nanosensors to monitor the wound-induced H₂O₂ signaling pathway in plants. This approach enables non-destructive, real-time detection of changes in endogenous H₂O₂ level in plants at a standoff distance. We demonstrate the versatility of this method to investigate the dynamics between H₂O₂ and electric signal in both model and non-model plants, and show that the nanosensor readout can be paired with portable and inexpensive electronic device. A mathematical model describing the self-propagating mechanism of the wave will be presented. Our work provides a promising tool to elucidate the complex plant signaling pathways across species to aid botany research and precision agricultural applications.