A Study on Gamma ray effects on Stress Response and Cellular Toxicity using Bacterial Cells

  • Published : 2000.11.09

Abstract

Effects of gamma ionizing radiation on recombinant Escherichia coli cells containing stress promoters, recA, fabA, grpE, or katG, fused to luxCDABE originated from Vibrio fischeri were characterized by monitoring transcriptional responses reflected by bioluminescent output. Quantification of gamma-ray intensity may be possible using the recA and fabA promoter fusion since a linear enhancement of bioluminescence emission with increasing gamma-ray intensity was observed. Other strains sensitive to either oxidative stress (DPD2511, katG::luxCDABE) or protein-damaging stress (TV1061, grpE::luxCDABE) were also irradiated by gamma-rays, and resulted in no noticeable bioluminescent output while DPD2794 with recA promoter and DPD2540 with fabA promoter irradiated by the same intensities of gamma-rays gave a significant bioluminescent output. This indicates that the main stresses in the recombinant bacteria caused by ionizing radiation are DNA and membrane-damage, not protein- or oxidative-damage. In addition, in this study, to investigate the relationship between the radiation dose rate and bacterial responses, two recombinant Escherichia coli strains, DPD2794 and GC2, containing lac promoter fused to luxCDABE originating from Photorhapdus luminescences, were used for detecting DNA damage and cellular toxicity under various radiation dose rates. Throughout this study, it was found that these bacteria showed quantitative stress responses to DNA damage and general toxicity caused by gamma rays, depending on the radiation dose rates, indicating that the bacterial stress responses and general toxicity were seriously influenced according to radiation dose rates.

본 연구는 5가지의 발광성 미생물을 이용하여 유해 방사선으로 알려져 있는 ${\gamma}-rays$가 여러가지 cellular stresses 중, 특히 유전자 손상과 생물막 손상을 유발하였는데, 이들의 손상 정도가 총 방사선량과 상관관계가 있음을 발생하는 bioluminescence 로써 확인하였다. 뿐만 아니라, 선량률의 변화를 통하여 방사선으로 인한 유전자 손상 및 일반적인 독성 효과가 큰 영향을 받는 것을 확인하였는데, 선량률 증가에 따라 이들 손상정도가 증가하는 것으로 보아 선량률이 genetic 및 radioprotecion에 심각한 영향을 미치는 것을 확인하였다.

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