Ionizing-radiation-resistant organisms (IRRO) were defined as organisms for which the dose of acute ionizing radiation (IR) required to achieve 90% reduction (D10) is greater than 1,000 gray (Gy) [1]
Radioresistance is surprisingly high in many organisms, in contrast to previously held views. For example, the study of environment, animals and plants around the Chernobyl disaster area has revealed an unexpected survival of many species, despite the high radiation levels. A Brazilian study in a hill in the state of Minas Gerais which has high natural radiation levels from uranium deposits, has also shown many radioresistant insects, worms and plants.[2][3] Certain extremophiles, such as the bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans and the tardigrades, can withstand large doses of ionizing radiation on the order of 5,000 Gy.[4][5][6]
Induced radioresistance
This is a graph showing the effect of fractionation on the ability of gamma rays to cause cell death. The blue line is for cells which were not given a chance to recover while the red line is for cells which were allowed to stand for a time and recover.
In the graph on left, a dose/survival curve for a hypothetical group of cells has been drawn with and without a rest time for the cells to recover. Other than the recovery time partway through the irradiation, the cells would have been treated identically.
Radioresistance may be induced by exposure to small doses of ionizing radiation. Several studies have documented this effect in yeast, bacteria, protozoa, algae, plants, insects, as well as in in vitromammalian and human cells and in animal models. Several cellular radioprotection mechanisms may be involved, such as alterations in the levels of some cytoplasmic and nuclearproteins and increased gene expression, DNA repair and other processes. Also biophysical models presented general basics for this phenomenon.[7]
Many organisms have been found to possess a self-repair mechanism that can be activated by exposure to radiation in some cases. Two examples of this self-repair process in humans are described below.
Devair Alves Ferreira received a large dose (7.0 Gy) during the Goiânia accident, and lived, whereas his wife, who got a dose of 5.7 Gy, died. The most likely explanation[citation needed] is that his dose was fractionated into many smaller doses which were absorbed over a length of time while his wife stayed in the house more and was subjected to continuous irradiation without a break so giving the self repair mechanisms in her body less time to repair some of the damage done by the radiation. This resulted in her death. He also eventually died in 1994. In the same way some of the persons who worked in the basement of the wrecked Chernobyl have built up doses of 10 Gy, these workers received these doses in small fractions so the acute effects were avoided.
It has been found in radiation biology experiments that if a group of cells are irradiated then as the dose increases the number of cells which survive decrease. It has also been found that if a population of cells are given a dose before being set aside (without being irradiated) for a length of time before being irradiated again then the radiation has less of an ability to cause cell death. The human body contains many types of cells and a human can be killed by the loss of a single tissue in a vital organ[citation needed]. For many short term radiation deaths (3 days to 30 days) the loss of cells forming blood cells (bone marrow) and the cells in the digestive system (wall of the intestines) cause death.
Inheritance of radioresistance
There is strong evidence that radioresistance can be genetically determined and inherited, at least in some organisms. Heinrich Nöthel, a geneticist from the Freie Universität Berlin carried out the most extensive study about radioresistance mutations using the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, in a series of 14 publications.
Evolution of radioresistance
From the perspective of evolutionary history and causation, radioresistance does not appear to be an adaptive trait because there is no documented naturally occurring selection pressure that could have bestowed a fitness advantage to the ability for organisms to withstand doses of ionizing radiation in the range that several extremophile species have been observed to be capable of surviving.[8] This is primarily because the Earth's magnetic field shields all its inhabitants from solar cosmic radiation and galactic cosmic rays,[9] which are the two primary sources of ionizing radiation across our solar system,[10] and even including all documented terrestrial sources of ionizing radiation such as radon gas and primordial radionuclides at geographical locations considered to be natural high-level radiation sites, the yearly dose of natural background radiation[11] remains tens of thousands of times smaller than the levels of ionizing radiation that many highly radioresistant organisms can withstand.
One possible explanation for the existence of radioresistance is that it is an example of co-opted adaptation or exaptation, where radioresistance could be an indirect consequence of the evolution of a different, linked adaptation that has been positively selected for by evolution. For example, the desiccation-adaptation hypothesis proposes that the extreme temperatures present in the habitats of hyperthermophiles like Deinococcus radiodurans cause cellular damage that is virtually identical to damage typically caused by ionizing radiation, and that the cellular repair mechanisms that have evolved to repair this heat or desiccation damage are generalizable to radiation damage as well, allowing D. radiodurans to survive extreme doses of ionizing radiation.[12] Exposure to gamma radiation leads to cellular DNA damage including alterations in nitrogenous base-pairing, sugar-phosphate backbone damage, and double-stranded DNA lesions.[13] The extraordinarily efficient cellular repair mechanisms that Deinoccocus species like D. radiodurans have evolved to repair heat-damage are likely also capable of reversing the effects of DNA damage wrought by ionizing radiation, such as by piecing back together any components of their genome that have been fragmented by the radiation.[14][15][16]
Bacillus sp. producing unusually radiation (and peroxide) resistant spores, have been isolated from spacecraft assembly facilities, and are thought of as candidates that could ride piggyback on spacecraft through interplanetary transfer.[17][18][19][20][21] Genome analysis of some of these radiation resistant spore producers have thrown some light on the genetic traits that could be responsible for the resistances observed.[22][23][24][25]
Radioresistance in radiation oncology
Radioresistance is also a term sometimes used in medicine (oncology) for cancer cells which are difficult to treat with radiotherapy. Radioresistance of cancer cells may be intrinsic or induced by the radiation therapy itself.
Radioresistance comparison
The comparison in the table below is only meant to give approximate indications of radioresistance for different species and should be taken with great caution. There are generally big differences in radioresistance for one species among experiments, due to the way radiation affects living tissues and to different experimental conditions. We should for example consider that because radiation impedes cell division, immature organisms are less resistant to radiations than adults, and adults are sterilized at doses much lower than that necessary to kill them. For example, for the insect parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor, the LD50 for haploid embryo during cleavage (1–3 hours of age) is 200 R, but about 4 hours later it is of 7,000 R (for X-ray intensity of 110 R/minute), and haploid (= male) embryos are more resistant than diploid (= female) embryos.[26] The mortality of adults H. hebetor exposed to a dose of 180,250 R is the same to this of a non-irradiated control group (food was not provided to either groups) (for 6,000 R/minute).[27][28] However, a lower dose of 102,000 R (for 6,000 R/minute) is sufficient to induce a state of lethargy in H. hebetor that is manifested by a complete cessation of activity, including cessation of feeding, and these individuals eventually let themselves starve to death.[28] And an even lower dose of 4,858 R (for 2,650 R/minute) is sufficient to sterilize adult female H. hebetor (sterility arises 3 days post-exposure).[29] Other important factors that influence the level of radioresistance include: The length of time during which a dose of radiation is delivered—with doses delivered during longer periods, or at time intervals, being associated with greatly reduced negative effects;[29][30] The feeding state of individuals—with pre-fed and post-fed individuals being more resistant to radiations compared to starved individuals;[29][30] The type of radiation used (e.g., tardigrades Milnesium tardigradum irradiated with heavy ions have a higher survival than when irradiated with gamma rays, for a same irradiation dose);[31] The physiological state of individuals (e.g., the tardigrade species Richtersius coronifer and Milnesium tardigradum are more resistant to gamma-ray radiation when in the hydrated state, and Macrobiotus areolatus is more resistant to X-ray radiation when in the anhydrobiotic state).[31] The way lethality is measured is also source of variation for the estimated radioresistance of a species. Irradiated specimens are not instantly killed, unless exposed to a very high dose (acute dose).[32] Therefore, irradiated specimens die over a certain period of time and lower irradiation doses correspond to longer survival. This means that the radiation dose LD50 fluctuates with the time at which it is measured. For example, the β radiation dose that causes 50% mortality in the American cockroach at 25 days post-exposure is 5,700 R, but to reach 50% mortality at 3 days post-exposure, 45,610 R are needed.[30] 25 days can represent a long survival period for short lived species, such as insects, but would represent a very short survival time for long lived species, such as mammals, so comparing survival of different species after the same amount of time post-exposure also poses some challenges of interpretation. These examples illustrate the many issues associated with comparison of radioresistance among species and the need for caution when doing so.
∗ While an LD50 has been reported for wild type C. elegans individuals, an upper lethal limit has not been established, rather "nearly all animals were alive with no indication of excess lethality up to 800 Gy, the highest dose... measured."[39]
↑ Cordeiro, AR; Marques, EK; Veiga-Neto, AJ (1973). "Radioresistance of a natural population of Drosophila willistoni living in a radioactive environment". Mutation Research. 19 (3): 325–9. doi:10.1016/0027-5107(73)90233-9. PMID4796403.
↑ Moustacchi, E (1965). "Induction by physical and chemical agents of mutations for radioresistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae". Mutation Research. 2 (5): 403–12. doi:10.1016/0027-5107(65)90052-7. PMID5878261.
↑ Murray RGE. 1992. The family Deino- coccaceae. In The Prokaryotes, ed. A Ballows, HG Truper, M Dworkin, W Harder, KH Schleifer 4:3732–44. New York: Springer-Verlag
↑ Agapov, A. A.; Kulbachinskiy, A. V. (October 2015). "Mechanisms of Stress Resistance and Gene Regulation in the Radioresistant Bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans". Biochemistry. Biokhimiia. 80 (10): 1201–1216. doi:10.1134/S0006297915100016. ISSN1608-3040. PMID26567564. S2CID14981740.
↑ La Duc MT, Nicholson W, Kern R, Venkateswaran K (2003). "Microbial characterization of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and its encapsulation facility". Environ Microbiol. 5 (10): 977–85. doi:10.1046/j.1462-2920.2003.00496.x. PMID14510851.
↑ Link L, Sawyer J, Venkateswaran K, Nicholson W (February 2004). "Extreme spore UV resistance of Bacillus pumilus isolates obtained from an ultraclean Spacecraft Assembly Facility". Microb Ecol. 47 (2): 159–163. doi:10.1007/s00248-003-1029-4. PMID14502417. S2CID13416635.
↑ Kempf MJ, Chen F, Kern R, Venkateswaran K (June 2005). "Recurrent isolation of hydrogen peroxide- resistant spores of Bacillus pumilus from a spacecraft assembly facility". Astrobiology. 5 (3): 391–405. Bibcode:2005AsBio...5..391K. doi:10.1089/ast.2005.5.391. PMID15941382.
↑ Tirumalai MR, Fox GE (September 2013). "An ICEBs1-like element may be associated with the extreme radiation and desiccation resistance of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 spores". Extremophiles. 17 (5): 767–774. doi:10.1007/s00792-013-0559-z. PMID23812891. S2CID8675124.
1 2 Sullivan, R; Grosch, D (1953). "The radiation tolerance of an adult wasp". Nucleotics. 11: 21–23.
1 2 3 Grosch, DS (1954). "Induced lethargy and the radiation control of insects". Journal of Economic Entomology. 49 (5): 629–631. doi:10.1093/jee/49.5.629.
↑ Hartman, P; Goldstein, P; Algarra, M; Hubbard, D; Mabery, J (1996). "The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is up to 39 times more sensitive to gamma radiation generated from 137Cs than from 60Co". Mutat Res. 363 (3): 201–208. doi:10.1016/0921-8777(96)00012-2. PMID8765161.
Fornalski, K.W. (2016). "Radiation and evolution: from Lotka-Volterra equation to balance equation". International Journal of Low Radiation. 10 (3): 222–33. doi:10.1504/IJLR.2016.10002388.
An extremophile is an organism that is able to live in extreme environments, i.e. environments with conditions approaching or expanding the limits of what known life can adapt to, such as extreme temperature, radiation, salinity, or pH level.
Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a collection of health effects that are caused by being exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms can start within an hour of exposure, and can last for several months. Early symptoms are usually nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. In the following hours or weeks, initial symptoms may appear to improve, before the development of additional symptoms, after which either recovery or death follow.
Deinococcota is a phylum of bacteria with a single class, Deinococci, that are highly resistant to environmental hazards, also known as extremophiles. These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them gram-positive stains, but they include a second membrane and so are closer in structure to those of gram-negative bacteria.
Desiccation is the state of extreme dryness, or the process of extreme drying. A desiccant is a hygroscopic substance that induces or sustains such a state in its local vicinity in a moderately sealed container.
Radiation hormesis is the hypothesis that low doses of ionizing radiation are beneficial, stimulating the activation of repair mechanisms that protect against disease, that are not activated in absence of ionizing radiation. The reserve repair mechanisms are hypothesized to be sufficiently effective when stimulated as to not only cancel the detrimental effects of ionizing radiation but also inhibit disease not related to radiation exposure. This hypothesis has captured the attention of scientists and public alike in recent years.
Radiosensitivity is the relative susceptibility of cells, tissues, organs or organisms to the harmful effect of ionizing radiation.
Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) sometimes called selfish genetic elements are a type of genetic material that can move around within a genome, or that can be transferred from one species or replicon to another. MGEs are found in all organisms. In humans, approximately 50% of the genome is thought to be MGEs. MGEs play a distinct role in evolution. Gene duplication events can also happen through the mechanism of MGEs. MGEs can also cause mutations in protein coding regions, which alters the protein functions. These mechanisms can also rearrange genes in the host genome generating variation. These mechanism can increase fitness by gaining new or additional functions. An example of MGEs in evolutionary context are that virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genes of MGEs can be transported to share genetic code with neighboring bacteria. However, MGEs can also decrease fitness by introducing disease-causing alleles or mutations. The set of MGEs in an organism is called a mobilome, which is composed of a large number of plasmids, transposons and viruses.
Dose fractionation effects are utilised in the treatment of cancer with radiation therapy. When the total dose of radiation is divided into several, smaller doses over a period of several days, there are fewer toxic effects on healthy cells. This maximizes the effect of radiation on cancer and minimizes the negative side effects. A typical fractionation scheme divides the dose into 30 units delivered every weekday over six weeks.
The radiation-induced bystander effect is the phenomenon in which unirradiated cells exhibit irradiated effects as a result of signals received from nearby irradiated cells. In November 1992, Hatsumi Nagasawa and John B. Little first reported this radiobiological phenomenon.
Habrobracon hebetor is a minute wasp of the family Braconidae that is an ectoparasitoid of several species of moth caterpillars. Well known hosts include the larval stage of Plodia interpunctella, the Indianmeal moth, the late larval stage of the Mediterranean flour moth and the almond moth, and the dried fruit moth. This parasitoid has been used commercially as a way to control pests without using chemical insecticides.
EXPOSE is a multi-user facility mounted outside the International Space Station (ISS) dedicated to astrobiology. EXPOSE was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) for long-term spaceflights and was designed to allow exposure of chemical and biological samples to outer space while recording data during exposure.
Deinococcus radiodurans is an extremophilic bacterium and one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known. It can survive cold, dehydration, vacuum, and acid, and therefore is known as a polyextremophile. It has been listed as the world's toughest known bacterium in The Guinness Book Of World Records.
Deinococcus is in the monotypic family Deinococcaceae, and one genus of three in the order Deinococcales of the bacterial phylum Deinococcota highly resistant to environmental hazards. These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them Gram-positive stains, but they include a second membrane and so are closer in structure to Gram-negative bacteria. Deinococcus survive when their DNA is exposed to high doses of gamma and UV radiation. Whereas other bacteria change their structure in the presence of radiation, such as by forming endospores, Deinococcus tolerate it without changing their cellular form and do not retreat into a hardened structure. They are also characterized by the presence of the carotenoid pigment deinoxanthin that give them their pink color. They are usually isolated according to these two criteria. In August 2020, scientists reported that bacteria from Earth, particularly Deinococcus bacteria, were found to survive for three years in outer space, based on studies conducted on the International Space Station. These findings support the notion of panspermia, the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed in various ways, including space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets, planetoids or contaminated spacecraft.
Thermococcus gammatolerans is an archaea extremophile and the most radiation-resistant organism known to exist.
Bacillus pumilus is a Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming bacillus commonly found in soil.
Travel outside the Earth's protective atmosphere, magnetosphere, and gravitational field can harm human health, and understanding such harm is essential for successful crewed spaceflight. Potential effects on the central nervous system (CNS) are particularly important. A vigorous ground-based cellular and animal model research program will help quantify the risk to the CNS from space radiation exposure on future long distance space missions and promote the development of optimized countermeasures.
Exobiology Radiation Assembly (ERA) was an experiment that investigated the biological effects of space radiation. An astrobiology mission developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), it took place aboard the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA), an unmanned 4.5 tonne satellite with a payload of 15 experiments.
Deinococcus geothermalis is a non-pathogenic, sphere-shaped, Gram-positive, heterotrophic bacterium, where geothermalis means 'hot earth' or 'hot springs'. This bacterium was first obtained from the hot springs of Agnano, Naples, Italy and São Pedro do Sul, Portugal.
Deinococcus marmoris is a Gram-positive bacterium isolated from Antarctica. As a species of the genus Deinococcus, the bacterium is UV-tolerant and able to withstand low temperatures.
Deinococcus deserti is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that belongs to the Deinococcaceae, a group of extremely radiotolerant bacteria. D. deserti and other Deinococcaceae exhibit an extraordinary ability to withstand ionizing radiation.
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