A 2025 Nature Communications study developed an aspartic-acid-decorated polymer micelle, Asp/PDPA-NP, that uses endogenous plant amino-acid transporters as receptors for autonomous nanoparticle uptake.
AtAAP1 and AtLHT1 support clathrin-dependent endocytosis
In Arabidopsis, uptake depended on AtAAP1 and AtLHT1 and was reduced by endocytosis inhibition, supporting a transporter-associated clathrin-dependent entry mechanism. Cell-wall-remodeling responses were also observed, although the exact mechanism by which the particles cross the wall remains incompletely resolved.
Spray or co-culture delivered cargo within 10 minutes
Fluorescent cargos were delivered into multiple plant tissues and cell types by simple spray or co-culture, with uptake observed within 10 minutes. Delivery was demonstrated in Arabidopsis, soybean, maize and other tested plants without mechanical penetration.
The paper describes the platform as species-independent across the tested systems; this should not be read as proof that every plant species will behave identically.
ABA-loaded particles produced drought responses at 1 nM
ABA-loaded Asp/PDPA-NP reduced the effective ABA dose to 1 nM, described by the authors as a one-million-fold reduction relative to a 1 mM free-ABA comparison. Soybean and maize also showed improved water-withholding responses after foliar application.
This is a powerful proof of concept, not yet evidence that field agriculture can universally cut ABA use by one million-fold.
The delivery route is more important than the ABA example
The platform could potentially carry other chemicals and biomolecules, but generalized delivery of nucleic acids, proteins or genome-editing machinery was not established in this paper. Field use will require environmental-fate, degradation, non-target, cost and regulatory studies.
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Reference
- Xia X et al. Amino acid transporters mediate autonomous delivery of nanoparticle vehicles into living plants. Nature Communications. 2025;16:6715. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60829-8
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