1
|
Cassaro A, Pacelli C, Baqué M, Maturilli A, Böttger U, Fujimori A, Moeller R, de Vera JPP, Onofri S. Spectroscopic investigations of fungal biomarkers after exposure to heavy ion irradiation. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 302:123073. [PMID: 37453382 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2023.123073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The main objective of the ongoing and future space exploration missions is the search for traces of extant or extinct life (biomarkers) on Mars. One of the main limiting factors on the survival of Earth-like life is the presence of harmful space radiation, that could damage or modify also biomolecules, therefore understanding the effects of radiation on terrestrial biomolecules stability and detectability is of utmost importance. Which terrestrial molecules could be preserved in a Martian radiation scenario? Here, we investigated the potential endurance of fungal biomolecules, by exposing de-hydrated colonies of the Antarctic cryptoendolithic black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus mixed with Antarctic sandstone and with two Martian regolith analogues to increasing doses (0, 250 and 1000 Gy) of accelerated ions, namely iron (Fe), argon (Ar) and helium (He) ions. We analyzed the feasibility to detect fungal compounds with Raman and Infrared spectroscopies after exposure to these space-relevant radiations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Cassaro
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - C Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, Rome, Italy.
| | - M Baqué
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Planetary Laboratories Department Berlin, Germany
| | - A Maturilli
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Planetary Research, Planetary Laboratories Department Berlin, Germany
| | - U Böttger
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Optical Sensor Systems Berlin, Germany
| | - A Fujimori
- Molecular and Cellular Radiation Biology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, NIRS/QST, Chiba, Japan
| | - R Moeller
- German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Space Microbiology Research Group, DLR, Linder Höhe, D-51147 Köln, Germany; University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (BRSU), Natural Sciences, von-Liebig-Straße 20, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany
| | - J-P P de Vera
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Space Operations and Astronaut Training, MUSC, Linder Höhe, D-51147 Köln, Germany; University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, WG Biodiversity/ Systematic Botany, Maulbeerallee 1, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - S Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell'Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Duarte GT, Volkova PY, Fiengo Perez F, Horemans N. Chronic Ionizing Radiation of Plants: An Evolutionary Factor from Direct Damage to Non-Target Effects. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:1178. [PMID: 36904038 PMCID: PMC10005729 DOI: 10.3390/plants12051178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In present times, the levels of ionizing radiation (IR) on the surface of Earth are relatively low, posing no high challenges for the survival of contemporary life forms. IR derives from natural sources and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), the nuclear industry, medical applications, and as a result of radiation disasters or nuclear tests. In the current review, we discuss modern sources of radioactivity, its direct and indirect effects on different plant species, and the scope of the radiation protection of plants. We present an overview of the molecular mechanisms of radiation responses in plants, which leads to a tempting conjecture of the evolutionary role of IR as a limiting factor for land colonization and plant diversification rates. The hypothesis-driven analysis of available plant genomic data suggests an overall DNA repair gene families' depletion in land plants compared to ancestral groups, which overlaps with a decrease in levels of radiation exposure on the surface of Earth millions of years ago. The potential contribution of chronic IR as an evolutionary factor in combination with other environmental factors is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nele Horemans
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre—SCK CEN, 2400 Mol, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Selås V, Kobro S. The lunar nodal phase cycle and winter atmospheric pressure as possible determinants of moth abundance: Analyses of a 30-year time series from South Norway. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9443. [PMID: 36311391 PMCID: PMC9608810 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the plant stress hypothesis, population peaks of herbivores such as moths are caused by plant stress factors that force plants to reallocate stored defensive proteins to transportable and easily digestive N‐compounds. A suggested plant stress factor is ionization caused by cosmic ray muons, which are modulated by the 9.3‐year lunar nodal phase cycle, solar activity, and atmospheric pressure. Vascular plants are more sensitive to ionization than are bryophytes, and woody plants are more sensitive than are herbaceous plants, but the difference may be less during dormancy in winter. We selected the 14 most common moth species from a 30‐year light‐trapping study in southern Norway to test whether the fluctuation patterns of species from three different feeding guilds were correlated with lunar/solar cycles, or with atmospheric pressure in winter, when muon fluxes are higher than in other seasons. The population indices of three species feeding on deciduous woody plants were positively correlated with the lunar nodal phase index, and there was a similar tendency for the remaining three species. No positive correlations with the lunar index were found for species feeding on herbs or mosses. For nine species, that is, from all three guilds, there was a significant negative correlation between the population index and winter atmospheric pressure in the previous year. The results are in accordance with predictions deduced from the cosmic ray hypothesis, but thorough investigations of the proposed physiological mechanisms are needed for the hypothesis to be widely accepted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vidar Selås
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | - Sverre Kobro
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy ResearchÅsNorway
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gu B, Muñoz-Santiburcio D, Da Pieve F, Cleri F, Artacho E, Kohanoff J. Bragg's additivity rule and core and bond model studied by real-time TDDFT electronic stopping simulations: The case of water vapor. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2022.109961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
5
|
Romano I, Camerlingo C, Vaccari L, Birarda G, Poli A, Fujimori A, Lepore M, Moeller R, Di Donato P. Effects of Ionizing Radiation and Long-Term Storage on Hydrated vs. Dried Cell Samples of Extremophilic Microorganisms. Microorganisms 2022; 10:190. [PMID: 35056640 PMCID: PMC8782055 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10010190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A main factor hampering life in space is represented by high atomic number nuclei and energy (HZE) ions that constitute about 1% of the galactic cosmic rays. In the frame of the "STARLIFE" project, we accessed the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator (HIMAC) facility of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba, Japan. By means of this facility, the extremophilic species Haloterrigena hispanica and Parageobacillus thermantarcticus were irradiated with high LET ions (i.e., Fe, Ar, and He ions) at doses corresponding to long permanence in the space environment. The survivability of HZE-treated cells depended upon either the storage time and the hydration state during irradiation; indeed, dry samples were shown to be more resistant than hydrated ones. With particular regard to spores of the species P. thermantarcticus, they were the most resistant to irradiation in a water medium: an analysis of the changes in their biochemical fingerprinting during irradiation showed that, below the survivability threshold, the spores undergo to a germination-like process, while for higher doses, inactivation takes place as a consequence of the concomitant release of the core's content and a loss of integrity of the main cellular components. Overall, the results reported here suggest that the selected extremophilic microorganisms could serve as biological model for space simulation and/or real space condition exposure, since they showed good resistance to ionizing radiation exposure and were able to resume cellular growth after long-term storage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ida Romano
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (I.R.); (A.P.)
| | - Carlo Camerlingo
- SuPerconducting and Other INnovative Materials and Devices Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy;
| | - Lisa Vaccari
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. S.S., 14 km 163,5 in Area Science Park, Basovizza, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (L.V.); (G.B.)
| | - Giovanni Birarda
- Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. S.S., 14 km 163,5 in Area Science Park, Basovizza, 34149 Trieste, Italy; (L.V.); (G.B.)
| | - Annarita Poli
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (I.R.); (A.P.)
| | - Akira Fujimori
- Molecular and Cellular Radiation Biology Group, Department of Charged Particle Therapy Research, Institute for Quantum Medical Science, Chiba 263-8555, Japan;
| | - Maria Lepore
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università della Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Via S. Maria di Costantinopoli 16, 80138 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Ralf Moeller
- German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Aerospace Microbiology, DLR, Linder Höhe, D-51147 Köln, Germany; or
- Natural Sciences Department, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (BRSU), von-Liebig-Straße 20, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Paola Di Donato
- Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry, National Research Council of Italy, Via Campi Flegrei, 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy; (I.R.); (A.P.)
- Department of Science and Technology, Parthenope University of Naples, Centro Direzionale—Isola C4, 80143 Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
The Space and Terrestrial Weather Variations as Possible Factors for Ischemia Events in Saint Petersburg. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Space and Terrestrial Weather (Weather Complex) impact on ischemia cases in Saint Petersburg is investigated. The results show the main feature of the Weather Complex when it was related to the days of the different ischemia situations in the different ischemia people gender groups. The data treatment was done with some elements of the Folder Epochs Method, Cluster Analysis and the Mann–Whitney hypothesis test criterion.
Collapse
|
7
|
Averbeck D, Rodriguez-Lafrasse C. Role of Mitochondria in Radiation Responses: Epigenetic, Metabolic, and Signaling Impacts. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011047. [PMID: 34681703 PMCID: PMC8541263 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Until recently, radiation effects have been considered to be mainly due to nuclear DNA damage and their management by repair mechanisms. However, molecular biology studies reveal that the outcomes of exposures to ionizing radiation (IR) highly depend on activation and regulation through other molecular components of organelles that determine cell survival and proliferation capacities. As typical epigenetic-regulated organelles and central power stations of cells, mitochondria play an important pivotal role in those responses. They direct cellular metabolism, energy supply and homeostasis as well as radiation-induced signaling, cell death, and immunological responses. This review is focused on how energy, dose and quality of IR affect mitochondria-dependent epigenetic and functional control at the cellular and tissue level. Low-dose radiation effects on mitochondria appear to be associated with epigenetic and non-targeted effects involved in genomic instability and adaptive responses, whereas high-dose radiation effects (>1 Gy) concern therapeutic effects of radiation and long-term outcomes involving mitochondria-mediated innate and adaptive immune responses. Both effects depend on radiation quality. For example, the increased efficacy of high linear energy transfer particle radiotherapy, e.g., C-ion radiotherapy, relies on the reduction of anastasis, enhanced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and immunogenic (antitumor) responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich Averbeck
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology, PRISME, UMR CNRS 5822/IN2P3, IP2I, Lyon-Sud Medical School, University Lyon 1, 69921 Oullins, France;
- Correspondence:
| | - Claire Rodriguez-Lafrasse
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology, PRISME, UMR CNRS 5822/IN2P3, IP2I, Lyon-Sud Medical School, University Lyon 1, 69921 Oullins, France;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Lyon-Sud Hospital, Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69310 Pierre-Bénite, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pacelli C, Alessia C, Siong LM, Lorenzo A, Moeller R, Fujimori A, Igor S, Silvano O. Insights into the Survival Capabilities of Cryomyces antarcticus Hydrated Colonies after Exposure to Fe Particle Radiation. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:495. [PMID: 34206448 PMCID: PMC8304246 DOI: 10.3390/jof7070495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The modern concept of the evolution of Mars assumes that life could potentially have originated on the planet Mars, possibly during the end of the late heavy bombardment, and could then be transferred to other planets. Since then, physical and chemical conditions on Mars changed and now strongly limit the presence of terrestrial-like life forms. These adverse conditions include scarcity of liquid water (although brine solutions may exist), low temperature and atmospheric pressure, and cosmic radiation. Ionizing radiation is very important among these life-constraining factors because it damages DNA and other cellular components, particularly in liquid conditions where radiation-induced reactive oxidants diffuse freely. Here, we investigated the impact of high doses (up to 2 kGy) of densely-ionizing (197.6 keV/µm), space-relevant iron ions (corresponding on the irradiation that reach the uppermost layer of the Mars subsurface) on the survival of an extremophilic terrestrial organism-Cryomyces antarcticus-in liquid medium and under atmospheric conditions, through different techniques. Results showed that it survived in a metabolically active state when subjected to high doses of Fe ions and was able to repair eventual DNA damages. It implies that some terrestrial life forms can withstand prolonged exposure to space-relevant ion radiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Pacelli
- Italian Space Agency, 00133 Rome, Italy;
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.L.); (O.S.)
| | - Cassaro Alessia
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.L.); (O.S.)
| | - Loke M. Siong
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Aureli Lorenzo
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.L.); (O.S.)
| | - Ralf Moeller
- Radiation Biology Department, Aerospace Microbiology, German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, 51147 Cologne (Köln), Germany;
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (BRSU), 53359 Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Akira Fujimori
- Molecular and Cellular Radiation Biology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, NIRS/QST, Chiba 263-8555, Japan;
| | - Shuryak Igor
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | - Onofri Silvano
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (A.L.); (O.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Aureli L, Pacelli C, Cassaro A, Fujimori A, Moeller R, Onofri S. Iron Ion Particle Radiation Resistance of Dried Colonies of Cryomyces antarcticus Embedded in Martian Regolith Analogues. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E306. [PMID: 33255166 PMCID: PMC7761078 DOI: 10.3390/life10120306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the celestial bodies in the Solar System, Mars currently represents the main target for the search for life beyond Earth. However, its surface is constantly exposed to high doses of cosmic rays (CRs) that may pose a threat to any biological system. For this reason, investigations into the limits of resistance of life to space relevant radiation is fundamental to speculate on the chance of finding extraterrestrial organisms on Mars. In the present work, as part of the STARLIFE project, the responses of dried colonies of the black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus Culture Collection of Fungi from Extreme Environments (CCFEE) 515 to the exposure to accelerated iron (LET: 200 keV/μm) ions, which mimic part of CRs spectrum, were investigated. Samples were exposed to the iron ions up to 1000 Gy in the presence of Martian regolith analogues. Our results showed an extraordinary resistance of the fungus in terms of survival, recovery of metabolic activity and DNA integrity. These experiments give new insights into the survival probability of possible terrestrial-like life forms on the present or past Martian surface and shallow subsurface environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Aureli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (L.A.); (A.C.); (S.O.)
| | - Claudia Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (L.A.); (A.C.); (S.O.)
- Italian Space Agency, Via del Politecnico snc, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Cassaro
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (L.A.); (A.C.); (S.O.)
| | - Akira Fujimori
- Molecular and Cellular Radiation Biology Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST), Chiba 263-8555, Japan;
| | - Ralf Moeller
- German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Aerospace Microbiology, DLR, Linder Höhe, D-51147 Köln, Germany;
- Natural Sciences Department, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (BRSU), von-Liebig-Straße 20, D-53359 Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy; (L.A.); (A.C.); (S.O.)
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Effects of Heavy Ion Particle Irradiation on Spore Germination of Bacillus spp. from Extremely Hot and Cold Environments. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10110264. [PMID: 33143156 PMCID: PMC7693761 DOI: 10.3390/life10110264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Extremophiles are optimal models in experimentally addressing questions about the effects of cosmic radiation on biological systems. The resistance to high charge energy (HZE) particles, and helium (He) ions and iron (Fe) ions (LET at 2.2 and 200 keV/µm, respectively, until 1000 Gy), of spores from two thermophiles, Bacillushorneckiae SBP3 and Bacilluslicheniformis T14, and two psychrotolerants, Bacillus sp. A34 and A43, was investigated. Spores survived He irradiation better, whereas they were more sensitive to Fe irradiation (until 500 Gy), with spores from thermophiles being more resistant to irradiations than psychrotolerants. The survived spores showed different germination kinetics, depending on the type/dose of irradiation and the germinant used. After exposure to He 1000 Gy, D-glucose increased the lag time of thermophilic spores and induced germination of psychrotolerants, whereas L-alanine and L-valine increased the germination efficiency, except alanine for A43. FTIR spectra showed important modifications to the structural components of spores after Fe irradiation at 250 Gy, which could explain the block in spore germination, whereas minor changes were observed after He radiation that could be related to the increased permeability of the inner membranes and alterations of receptor complex structures. Our results give new insights on HZE resistance of extremophiles that are useful in different contexts, including astrobiology.
Collapse
|
11
|
Bizzarri BM, Manini P, Lino V, d'Ischia M, Kapralov M, Krasavin E, Mráziková K, Šponer J, Šponer JE, Di Mauro E, Saladino R. High‐Energy Proton‐Beam‐Induced Polymerization/Oxygenation of Hydroxynaphthalenes on Meteorites and Nitrogen Transfer from Urea: Modeling Insoluble Organic Matter? Chemistry 2020; 26:14919-14928. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.202002318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mattia Bizzarri
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB) University of Tuscia Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc 01100 Viterbo Italy
| | - Paola Manini
- Department of Chemical Sciences University of Naples Federico II Campus Monte S. Angelo Via Cinthia 21 80126 Naples Italy
| | - Valeria Lino
- Department of Chemical Sciences University of Naples Federico II Campus Monte S. Angelo Via Cinthia 21 80126 Naples Italy
| | - Marco d'Ischia
- Department of Chemical Sciences University of Naples Federico II Campus Monte S. Angelo Via Cinthia 21 80126 Naples Italy
| | - Michail Kapralov
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research JINR's Laboratory of Radiation Biology Dubna Russia
| | - Eugene Krasavin
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research JINR's Laboratory of Radiation Biology Dubna Russia
| | - Klaudia Mráziková
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Královopolská 135 61265 Brno Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Královopolská 135 61265 Brno Czech Republic
| | - Judit E. Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Královopolská 135 61265 Brno Czech Republic
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB) University of Tuscia Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc 01100 Viterbo Italy
| | - Raffaele Saladino
- Ecological and Biological Sciences Department (DEB) University of Tuscia Via S. Camillo de Lellis snc 01100 Viterbo Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Hespeels B, Penninckx S, Cornet V, Bruneau L, Bopp C, Baumlé V, Redivo B, Heuskin AC, Moeller R, Fujimori A, Lucas S, Van Doninck K. Iron Ladies - How Desiccated Asexual Rotifer Adineta vaga Deal With X-Rays and Heavy Ions? Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1792. [PMID: 32849408 PMCID: PMC7412981 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Space exposure experiments from the last 15 years have unexpectedly shown that several terrestrial organisms, including some multi-cellular species, are able to survive in open space without protection. The robustness of bdelloid rotifers suggests that these tiny creatures can possibly be added to the still restricted list of animals that can deal with the exposure to harsh condition of space. Bdelloids are one of the smallest animals on Earth. Living all over the world, mostly in semi-terrestrial environments, they appear to be extremely stress tolerant. Their desiccation tolerance at any stage of their life cycle is known to confer tolerance to a variety of stresses including high doses of radiation and freezing. In addition, they constitute a major scandal in evolutionary biology due to the putative absence of sexual reproduction for at least 60 million years. Adineta vaga, with its unique characteristics and a draft genome available, was selected by ESA (European Space Agency) as a model system to study extreme resistance of organisms exposed to space environment. In this manuscript, we documented the resistance of desiccated A. vaga individuals exposed to increasing doses of X-ray, protons and Fe ions. Consequences of exposure to different sources of radiation were investigated in regard to the cellular type including somatic (survival assay) and germinal cells (fertility assay). Then, the capacity of A. vaga individuals to repair DNA DSB induced by different source of radiation was investigated. Bdelloid rotifers represent a promising model in order to investigate damage induced by high or low LET radiation. The possibility of exposure both on hydrated or desiccated specimens may help to decipher contribution of direct and indirect radiation damage on biological processes. Results achieved through this study consolidate our knowledge about the radioresistance of A. vaga and improve our capacity to compare extreme resistance against radiation among living organisms including metazoan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Hespeels
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology (LEGE), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium.,Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Institute of Life, Earth & Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Sébastien Penninckx
- Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reaction (LARN), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Valérie Cornet
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Institute of Life, Earth & Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Lucie Bruneau
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology (LEGE), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Cécile Bopp
- Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reaction (LARN), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Véronique Baumlé
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology (LEGE), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium.,Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Institute of Life, Earth & Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Baptiste Redivo
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Institute of Life, Earth & Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Anne-Catherine Heuskin
- Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reaction (LARN), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Ralf Moeller
- Space Microbiology Research Group, Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany.,Department of Natural Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (BRSU), Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Akira Fujimori
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Chiba, Japan
| | - Stephane Lucas
- Laboratory of Analysis by Nuclear Reaction (LARN), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Karine Van Doninck
- Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology (LEGE), NAmur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium.,Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE), Institute of Life, Earth & Environment (ILEE), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gu B, Cunningham B, Muñoz Santiburcio D, Da Pieve F, Artacho E, Kohanoff J. Efficient ab initio calculation of electronic stopping in disordered systems via geometry pre-sampling: Application to liquid water. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:034113. [PMID: 32716198 DOI: 10.1063/5.0014276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the electronic stopping curve for swift ions, Se(v), particularly around the Bragg peak, is important for understanding radiation damage. Experimentally, however, the determination of such a feature for light ions is very challenging, especially in disordered systems such as liquid water and biological tissue. Recent developments in real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) have enabled the calculation of Se(v) along nm-sized trajectories. However, it is still a challenge to obtain a meaningful statistically averaged Se(v) that can be compared to observations. In this work, taking advantage of the correlation between the local electronic structure probed by the projectile and the distance from the projectile to the atoms in the target, we devise a trajectory pre-sampling scheme to select, geometrically, a small set of short trajectories to accelerate the convergence of the averaged Se(v) computed via rt-TDDFT. For protons in liquid water, we first calculate the reference probability distribution function (PDF) for the distance from the proton to the closest oxygen atom, ϕR(rp→O), for a trajectory of a length similar to those sampled experimentally. Then, short trajectories are sequentially selected so that the accumulated PDF reproduces ϕR(rp→O) to increasingly high accuracy. Using these pre-sampled trajectories, we demonstrate that the averaged Se(vp) converges in the whole velocity range with less than eight trajectories, while other averaging methods using randomly and uniformly distributed trajectories require approximately ten times the computational effort. This allows us to compare the Se(vp) curve to experimental data and assess widely used empirical tables based on Bragg's rule.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Gu
- Department of Physics, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China
| | - Brian Cunningham
- Atomistic Simulation Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT71NN, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fabiana Da Pieve
- Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Av Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Emilio Artacho
- CIC Nanogune BRTA, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Jorge Kohanoff
- Atomistic Simulation Centre, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT71NN, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Costanzo G, Giorgi A, Scipioni A, Timperio AM, Mancone C, Tripodi M, Kapralov M, Krasavin E, Kruse H, Šponer J, Šponer JE, Ranc V, Otyepka M, Pino S, Di Mauro E. Nonenzymatic Oligomerization of 3',5'-Cyclic CMP Induced by Proton and UV Irradiation Hints at a Nonfastidious Origin of RNA. Chembiochem 2017; 18:1535-1543. [PMID: 28471098 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201700122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We report that 3',5'-cyclic CMP undergoes nonenzymatic di- and trimerization at 20 °C under dry conditions upon proton or UV irradiation. The reaction involves stacking of the cyclic monomers and subsequent polymerization through serial transphosphorylations between the stacked monomers. Proton- and UV-induced oligomerization of 3',5'-cyclic CMP demonstrates that pyrimidines-similar to purines-might also have taken part in the spontaneous generation of RNA under plausible prebiotic conditions as well as in an extraterrestrial context. The observed polymerization of naturally occurring 3',5'-cyclic nucleotides supports the possibility that the extant genetic nucleic acids might have originated by way of a straight Occamian path, starting from simple reactions between plausibly preactivated monomers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna Costanzo
- Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Giorgi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Anita Scipioni
- Dipartimento di Chimica, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Timperio
- Department of Ecology and Biology, "La Tuscia" University, Viale dell'Università snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Carmine Mancone
- Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Regina Elena 324, 00161, Roma, Italy.,National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani", IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Tripodi
- Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Regina Elena 324, 00161, Roma, Italy.,National Institute for Infectious Diseases "L. Spallanzani", IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Michail Kapralov
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Laboratory of Radiation Biology, 141980, Dubna, Russia
| | - Eugene Krasavin
- Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Laboratory of Radiation Biology, 141980, Dubna, Russia
| | - Holger Kruse
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic.,Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Judit E Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 61265, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Ranc
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, 17. Listopadu, 771 46, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Samanta Pino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Ernesto Di Mauro
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
de la Torre R, Miller AZ, Cubero B, Martín-Cerezo ML, Raguse M, Meeßen J. The Effect of High-Dose Ionizing Radiation on the Astrobiological Model Lichen Circinaria gyrosa. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:145-153. [PMID: 28206822 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The lichen Circinaria gyrosa is an astrobiological model defined by its high capacity of resistance to space conditions and to a simulated martian environment. Therefore, it became part of the currently operated BIOMEX experiment on board the International Space Station and the recent STARLIFE campaign to study the effects of four types of space-relevant ionizing radiation. The samples were irradiated with helium and iron ions at doses up to 2 kGy, with X-rays at doses up to 5 kGy and with γ rays at doses from 6 to 113 kGy. Results on C. gyrosa's resistance to simulated space ionizing radiation and its post-irradiation viability were obtained by (i) chlorophyll a fluorescence of photosystem II (PSII), (ii) epifluorescence microscopy, (iii) confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and (iv) field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Results of photosynthetic activity and epifluorescence show no significant changes up to a dose of 1 kGy (helium ions), 2 kGy (iron ions), 5 kGy (X-rays)-the maximum doses applied for those radiation qualities-as well as a dose of 6 kGy of γ irradiation, which was the lowest dose applied for this low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Significant damage in a dose-related manner was observed only at much higher doses of γ irradiation (up to 113 kGy). These data corroborate the findings of the parallel STARLIFE studies on the effects of ionizing radiation on the lichen Circinaria gyrosa, its isolated photobiont, and the lichen Xanthoria elegans. Key Words: Simulated space ionizing radiation-Gamma rays-Extremotolerance-Lichens-Circinaria gyrosa-Photosynthetic activity. Astrobiology 17, 145-153.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosa de la Torre
- 1 Departamento de Observación de la Tierra, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Zélia Miller
- 2 Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla-CSIC , Sevilla, Spain
| | - Beatriz Cubero
- 2 Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla-CSIC , Sevilla, Spain
| | - M Luisa Martín-Cerezo
- 1 Departamento de Observación de la Tierra, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) , Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Raguse
- 3 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Joachim Meeßen
- 4 Institute of Botany, Heinrich-Heine-University (HHU) , Düsseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Moeller R, Raguse M, Leuko S, Berger T, Hellweg CE, Fujimori A, Okayasu R, Horneck G. STARLIFE-An International Campaign to Study the Role of Galactic Cosmic Radiation in Astrobiological Model Systems. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:101-109. [PMID: 28151691 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
In-depth knowledge regarding the biological effects of the radiation field in space is required for assessing the radiation risks in space. To obtain this knowledge, a set of different astrobiological model systems has been studied within the STARLIFE radiation campaign during six irradiation campaigns (2013-2015). The STARLIFE group is an international consortium with the aim to investigate the responses of different astrobiological model systems to the different types of ionizing radiation (X-rays, γ rays, heavy ions) representing major parts of the galactic cosmic radiation spectrum. Low- and high-energy charged particle radiation experiments have been conducted at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) facility at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba, Japan. X-rays or γ rays were used as reference radiation at the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Cologne, Germany) or Beta-Gamma-Service GmbH (BGS, Wiehl, Germany) to derive the biological efficiency of different radiation qualities. All samples were exposed under identical conditions to the same dose and qualities of ionizing radiation (i) allowing a direct comparison between the tested specimens and (ii) providing information on the impact of the space radiation environment on currently used astrobiological model organisms. Key Words: Space radiation environment-Sparsely ionizing radiation-Densely ionizing radiation-Heavy ions-Gamma radiation-Astrobiological model systems. Astrobiology 17, 101-109.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Moeller
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Marina Raguse
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Stefan Leuko
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Berger
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Christine Elisabeth Hellweg
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Akira Fujimori
- 2 Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) , Chiba, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Okayasu
- 2 Department of Basic Medical Sciences for Radiation Damages, National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) , Chiba, Japan
| | - Gerda Horneck
- 1 Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine , German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Atri D. Modelling stellar proton event-induced particle radiation dose on close-in exoplanets. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/mnrasl/slw199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
18
|
Meteorite-catalyzed syntheses of nucleosides and of other prebiotic compounds from formamide under proton irradiation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E2746-55. [PMID: 25870268 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1422225112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Liquid formamide has been irradiated by high-energy proton beams in the presence of powdered meteorites, and the products of the catalyzed resulting syntheses were analyzed by mass spectrometry. Relative to the controls (no radiation, or no formamide, or no catalyst), an extremely rich, variegate, and prebiotically relevant panel of compounds was observed. The meteorites tested were representative of the four major classes: iron, stony iron, chondrites, and achondrites. The products obtained were amino acids, carboxylic acids, nucleobases, sugars, and, most notably, four nucleosides: cytidine, uridine, adenosine, and thymidine. In accordance with theoretical studies, the detection of HCN oligomers suggests the occurrence of mechanisms based on the generation of radical cyanide species (CN·) for the synthesis of nucleobases. Given that many of the compounds obtained are key components of extant organisms, these observations contribute to outline plausible exogenous high-energy-based prebiotic scenarios and their possible boundary conditions, as discussed.
Collapse
|
19
|
|
20
|
Moeller R, Reitz G, Li Z, Klein S, Nicholson WL. Multifactorial resistance of Bacillus subtilis spores to high-energy proton radiation: role of spore structural components and the homologous recombination and non-homologous end joining DNA repair pathways. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:1069-77. [PMID: 23088412 PMCID: PMC3491616 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2012.0890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The space environment contains high-energy charged particles (e.g., protons, neutrons, electrons, α-particles, heavy ions) emitted by the Sun and galactic sources or trapped in the radiation belts. Protons constitute the majority (87%) of high-energy charged particles. Spores of Bacillus species are one of the model systems used for astro- and radiobiological studies. In this study, spores of different Bacillus subtilis strains were used to study the effects of high energetic proton irradiation on spore survival. Spores of the wild-type B. subtilis strain [mutants deficient in the homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathways and mutants deficient in various spore structural components such as dipicolinic acid (DPA), α/β-type small, acid-soluble spore protein (SASP) formation, spore coats, pigmentation, or spore core water content] were irradiated as air-dried multilayers on spacecraft-qualified aluminum coupons with 218 MeV protons [with a linear energy transfer (LET) of 0.4 keV/μm] to various final doses up to 2500 Gy. Spores deficient in NHEJ- and HR-mediated DNA repair were significantly more sensitive to proton radiation than wild-type spores, indicating that both HR and NHEJ DNA repair pathways are needed for spore survival. Spores lacking DPA, α/β-type SASP, or with increased core water content were also significantly more sensitive to proton radiation, whereas the resistance of spores lacking pigmentation or spore coats was essentially identical to that of the wild-type spores. Our results indicate that α/β-type SASP, core water content, and DPA play an important role in spore resistance to high-energy proton irradiation, suggesting their essential function as radioprotectants of the spore interior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Moeller
- German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Cologne, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Dachev T, Horneck G, Häder DP, Schuster M, Richter P, Lebert M, Demets R. Time profile of cosmic radiation exposure during the EXPOSE-E mission: the R3DE instrument. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:403-11. [PMID: 22680687 PMCID: PMC3371259 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to present the time profile of cosmic radiation exposure obtained by the Radiation Risk Radiometer-Dosimeter during the EXPOSE-E mission in the European Technology Exposure Facility on the International Space Station's Columbus module. Another aim is to make the obtained results available to other EXPOSE-E teams for use in their data analysis. Radiation Risk Radiometer-Dosimeter is a low-mass and small-dimension automatic device that measures solar radiation in four channels and cosmic ionizing radiation as well. The main results of the present study include the following: (1) three different radiation sources were detected and quantified-galactic cosmic rays (GCR), energetic protons from the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) region of the inner radiation belt, and energetic electrons from the outer radiation belt (ORB); (2) the highest daily averaged absorbed dose rate of 426 μGy d(-1) came from SAA protons; (3) GCR delivered a much smaller daily absorbed dose rate of 91.1 μGy d(-1), and the ORB source delivered only 8.6 μGy d(-1). The analysis of the UV and temperature data is a subject of another article (Schuster et al., 2012 ).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tsvetan Dachev
- Space and Solar-Terrestrial Research Institute , Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (SSTRI-BAS), Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kujjo LL, Ronningen R, Ross P, Pereira RJG, Rodriguez R, Beyhan Z, Goissis MD, Baumann T, Kagawa W, Camsari C, Smith GW, Kurumizaka H, Yokoyama S, Cibelli JB, Perez GI. RAD51 plays a crucial role in halting cell death program induced by ionizing radiation in bovine oocytes. Biol Reprod 2012; 86:76. [PMID: 22190703 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.111.092064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Reproductive health of humans and animals exposed to daily irradiants from solar/cosmic particles remains largely understudied. We evaluated the sensitivities of bovine and mouse oocytes to bombardment by krypton-78 (1 Gy) or ultraviolet B (UV-B; 100 microjoules). Mouse oocytes responded to irradiation by undergoing massive activation of caspases, rapid loss of energy without cytochrome-c release, and subsequent necrotic death. In contrast, bovine oocytes became positive for annexin-V, exhibited cytochrome-c release, and displayed mild activation of caspases and downstream DNAses but with the absence of a complete cell death program; therefore, cytoplasmic fragmentation was never observed. However, massive cytoplasmic fragmentation and increased DNA damage were induced experimentally by both inhibiting RAD51 and increasing caspase 3 activity before irradiation. Microinjection of recombinant human RAD51 prior to irradiation markedly decreased both cytoplasmic fragmentation and DNA damage in both bovine and mouse oocytes. RAD51 response to damaged DNA occurred faster in bovine oocytes than in mouse oocytes. Therefore, we conclude that upon exposure to irradiation, bovine oocytes create a physiologically indeterminate state of partial cell death, attributed to rapid induction of DNA repair and low activation of caspases. The persistence of these damaged cells may represent an adaptive mechanism with potential implications for livestock productivity and long-term health risks associated with human activity in space.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loro L Kujjo
- Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Abstract
Ionizing radiation is a ubiquitous feature of the Cosmos, from exogenous cosmic rays (CR) to the intrinsic mineral radioactivity of a habitable world, and its influences on the emergence and persistence of life are wide-ranging and profound. Much attention has already been focused on the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation on organisms and the complex molecules of life, but ionizing radiation also performs many crucial functions in the generation of habitable planetary environments and the origins of life. This review surveys the role of CR and mineral radioactivity in star formation, generation of biogenic elements, and the synthesis of organic molecules and driving of prebiotic chemistry. Another major theme is the multiple layers of shielding of planetary surfaces from the flux of cosmic radiation and the various effects on a biosphere of violent but rare astrophysical events such as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. The influences of CR can also be duplicitous, such as limiting the survival of surface life on Mars while potentially supporting a subsurface biosphere in the ocean of Europa. This review highlights the common thread that ionizing radiation forms between the disparate component disciplines of astrobiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis R Dartnell
- UCL Institute for Origins, University College London, London, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Melott AL, Thomas BC. Astrophysical ionizing radiation and Earth: a brief review and census of intermittent intense sources. ASTROBIOLOGY 2011; 11:343-361. [PMID: 21545268 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2010.0603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Cosmic radiation backgrounds are a constraint on life, and their distribution will affect the Galactic Habitable Zone. Life on Earth has developed in the context of these backgrounds, and characterizing event rates will elaborate the important influences. This in turn can be a base for comparison with other potential life-bearing planets. In this review, we estimate the intensities and rates of occurrence of many kinds of strong radiation bursts by astrophysical entities, ranging from gamma-ray bursts at cosmological distances to the Sun itself. Many of these present potential hazards to the biosphere; on timescales long compared with human history, the probability of an event intense enough to disrupt life on the land surface or in the oceans becomes large. Both photons (e.g., X-rays) and high-energy protons and other nuclei (often called "cosmic rays") constitute hazards. For either species, one of the mechanisms that comes into play even at moderate intensities is the ionization of Earth's atmosphere, which leads through chemical changes (specifically, depletion of stratospheric ozone) to increased ultraviolet B flux from the Sun reaching the surface. UVB is extremely hazardous to most life due to its strong absorption by the genetic material DNA and subsequent breaking of chemical bonds. This often leads to mutation or cell death. It is easily lethal to the microorganisms that lie at the base of the food chain in the ocean. We enumerate the known sources of radiation and characterize their intensities at Earth and rates or upper limits on these quantities. When possible, we estimate a "lethal interval," our best estimate of how often a major extinction-level event is probable given the current state of knowledge; we base these estimates on computed or expected depletion of stratospheric ozone. In general, moderate-level events are dominated by the Sun, but the far more severe infrequent events are probably dominated by gamma-ray bursts and supernovae. We note for the first time that so-called "short-hard" gamma-ray bursts are a substantial threat, comparable in magnitude to supernovae and greater than that of the higher-luminosity long bursts considered in most past work. Given their precursors, short bursts may come with little or no warning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian L Melott
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Moeller R, Reitz G, Berger T, Okayasu R, Nicholson WL, Horneck G. Astrobiological aspects of the mutagenesis of cosmic radiation on bacterial spores. ASTROBIOLOGY 2010; 10:509-521. [PMID: 20624059 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2009.0429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Based on their unique resistance to various space parameters, Bacillus endospores are one of the model systems used for astrobiological studies. In this study, spores of B. subtilis were used to study the effects of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) on spore survival and induced mutagenesis. In interplanetary space, outside Earth's protective magnetic field, spore-containing rocks would be exposed to bombardment by high-energy charged particle radiation from galactic sources and from the Sun, which consists of photons (X-rays, gamma rays), protons, electrons, and heavy, high-energy charged (HZE) particles. B. subtilis spores were irradiated with X-rays and accelerated heavy ions (helium, carbon, silicon and iron) in the linear energy transfer (LET) range of 2-200 keV/mum. Spore survival and the rate of the induced mutations to rifampicin resistance (Rif(R)) depended on the LET of the applied species of ions and radiation, whereas the exposure to high-energy charged particles, for example, iron ions, led to a low level of spore survival and increased frequency of mutation to Rif(R) compared to low-energy charged particles and X-rays. Twenty-one Rif(R) mutant spores were isolated from X-ray and heavy ion-irradiated samples. Nucleotide sequencing located the Rif(R) mutations in the rpoB gene encoding the beta-subunit of RNA polymerase. Most mutations were primarily found in Cluster I and were predicted to result in amino acid changes at residues Q469L, A478V, and H482P/Y. Four previously undescribed alleles in B. subtilis rpoB were isolated: L467P, R484P, and A488P in Cluster I and H507R in the spacer between Clusters I and II. The spectrum of Rif(R) mutations arising from spores exposed to components of GCR is distinctly different from those of spores exposed to simulated space vacuum and martian conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Moeller
- German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology Department, Cologne, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|