Pollutant Accumulation in Pumpkins
Pumpkins accumulate pollutants, such as PAHs, in their edible flesh due to protein secretion in gourds.
PAHs are produced by burning wood, coal, and garbage, as well as through automobile exhaust. Human exposure to PAHs often occurs through smoking or consuming smoked or grilled food.
“However, these proteins exist in many other plants, and even among the gourds, there are varieties that are more prone to accumulating pollutants than others. We then noticed that in the highly accumulating varieties, there are higher concentrations of the protein in the sap,” said Inui.
Protein Secretion and Pollutant Accumulation
Inui’s team studied the secretion of pollutant-transporting proteins into the plant sap, finding that MLPs in highly accumulating plants are exported into the sap, while other variants are retained in the cells.
The team discovered that this difference is likely due to a small variation in the MLP’s amino acid sequence.
Author's summary: Pumpkins accumulate pollutants due to protein secretion.