Proteomic responses in the gills of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas, Rafinesque, 1820) after 6 months and 2 years of continuous exposure to environmentally relevant dietary226Ra

Effect of gamma radiation on the production of bystander signals from three earthworm species irradiated in vivo

The effect of gamma radiation delivered over 24 h on the induction of bystander signals of three earthworm species exposed in vivo was investigated: A. chlorotica, A. caliginosa, and E. tetraedra. Worms were exposed to external gamma irradiation (Co-60 source) for 24 h and samples of head, body, and clitellum were dissected from exposed and control worms and placed in culture medium for 24 h at 19 C. The harvested medium was filtered and assayed for expression of bystander signals using both clonogenic and mitochondrial reporter assays. Different responses were observed in the different species and in the different tissues. A. chlorotica worm-treated reporters show insignificant mitochondrial response for all sections, yet a significant clonogenic reduction in survival for body sections. A. caliginosa worm-treated reporters show a significant mitochondrial response for some sections and insignificant mitochondrial response and insignificant reduction in clonogenic survival for the rest. E. tetraedra worms from a control site show significant evidence of bystander signalling, measured by mitochondrial response in reporter cells, for all sections while those harvested from a contaminated site show insignificant changes in baseline signalling when exposed to the challenge dose. In vivo exposure of earthworm species shows evidence of bystander signalling using two different reporter assays. This effect varied between the different species and tissues. There is also evidence of attenuated bystander signalling in worms harvested from a site contaminated with radiation.

Irradiation of rainbow trout at early life stages results in a proteomic legacy in adult gills. Part A; proteomic responses in the irradiated fish and in non-irradiated bystander fish

Exposure to a single 0.5 Gy X-ray dose of eggs at 48 h after fertilisation (48 h egg), eyed eggs, yolk sac larvae (YSL) and first feeders induces a legacy effect in adult rainbow trout. This includes the transmission of a bystander effect to non-irradiated adult trout which had swam with the irradiated fish. The aim of this study was to investigate this legacy by analysing the gill proteome of these irradiated and bystander fish. Irradiation at all of the early life stages resulted in changes to proteins which play a key role in development but are also known to be anti-tumorigenic and anti-oxidant: upregulation of haemoglobin subunit beta (48 h egg), haemoglobin, serum albumin 1 precursor (eyed eggs), clathrin heavy chain 1 isoform X10 (eyed eggs and first feeders), and actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 4 (first feeders), downregulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase, histone 1 (48 h egg), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), collagen alpha-1(1) chain like proteins (YSL), pyruvate kinase PKM-like protein (YSL and first feeders), ubiquitin-40S ribosomal proteins S27 and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 A isoform 1B (first feeders). However irradiation of YSL and first feeders (post hatching early life stages) also induced proteomic changes which have a complex relationship with tumorigenesis or cancer progression; downregulation of alpha-1-antiprotease-like protein precursor, vigilin isoform X2 and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (YSL) and upregulation of hyperosmotic glycine rich protein (first feeders). In bystander fish some proteomic changes were similar to those induced by irradiation: upregulation of haemoglobin subunit beta (48 h egg), haemoglobin (eyed eggs), actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 4, hyperosmotic glycine rich protein (first feeders), and downregulation of alpha-1-antiprotease-like protein, vigilin isoform X2, nucleoside diphosphate kinase (YSL), pyruvate kinase PKM-like protein and ubiquitin-40S ribosomal protein S27a-like (first feeders). Other proteomic changes were unique to bystander fish; downregulation of TPI, ubiquitin-40S ribosomal protein S2 (eyed egg), cofilin-2, cold-inducible RNA-binding protein B-like isoform X3 (YSL) and superoxide dismutase (first feeder), and upregulation of haemoglobin subunit alpha, collagen 1a1 precursor, apolipoprotein A-1-1 and A-1-2 precursor (first feeders). These bystander effect proteomic changes have been shown to be overwhelmingly anti-tumorigenic or protective of the fish gill.

Biological Entanglement-Like Effect After Communication of Fish Prior to X-Ray Exposure

The phenomenon by which irradiated organisms including cells in vitro communicate with unirradiated neighbors is well established in biology as the radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE). Generally, the purpose of this communication is thought to be protective and adaptive, reflecting a highly conserved evolutionary mechanism enabling rapid adjustment to stressors in the environment. Stressors known to induce the effect were recently shown to include chemicals and even pathological agents. The mechanism is unknown but our group has evidence that physical signals such as biophotons acting on cellular photoreceptors may be implicated. This raises the question of whether quantum biological processes may occur as have been demonstrated in plant photosynthesis. To test this hypothesis, we decided to see whether any form of entanglement was operational in the system. Fish from 2 completely separate locations were allowed to meet for 2 hours either before or after which fish from 1 location only (group A fish) were irradiated. The results confirm RIBE signal production in both skin and gill of fish, meeting both before and after irradiation of group A fish. The proteomic analysis revealed that direct irradiation resulted in pro-tumorigenic proteomic responses in rainbow trout. However, communication from these irradiated fish, both before and after they had been exposed to a 0.5 Gy X-ray dose, resulted in largely beneficial proteomic responses in completely nonirradiated trout. The results suggest that some form of anticipation of a stressor may occur leading to a preconditioning effect or temporally displaced awareness after the fish become entangled.