Promotion effects and mechanisms of molybdenum disulfide on the propagation of antibiotic resistance genes in soil

The rapid development of nanotechnology has aroused considerable attentions toward understanding the effects of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) on the propagation of antibiotic resistance. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) is an extensively used ENM and poses potential risks associated with environmental exposure; nevertheless, the role of MoS 2 toward antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) transfer remains largely unknown. Herein, it was discovered that MoS 2 nanosheets accelerated the horizontal transfer of RP4 plasmid across Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent manner (0.5–10 mg/L), with the maximum transfer frequency 2.07-fold higher than that of the control. Integration of physiological, transcriptomics, and metabolomics analyses demonstrated that SOS response in bacteria was activated by MoS 2 due to the elevation of oxidative damage, accompanied by cell membrane permeabilization. MoS 2 promoted bacterial adhesion and intercellular contact via stimulating the secretion of extracellular polysaccharides. The ATP levels were maximally increased by 305.7 % upon exposure to MoS 2 , and the expression of plasmid transfer genes was up-regulated, contributing to the accelerated plasmid conjugation and increased ARG abundance in soil. Our findings highlight the roles of emerging ENMs (e.g., MoS 2 ) in ARGs dissemination, which is significant for the safe applications and risk management of ENMs under the development scenarios of nanotechnology.