scholarly journals Experimental evidence for the role of natural radioactivity in influencing viability of commensal microorganisms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Ruggiero

AbstractThe role of natural radioactivity in influencing viability of commensal microorganisms, with particular reference to those pertaining to the human microbiota, has not been investigated in detail. The results of experiments culturing a diversified array of microorganims - probiotics - in naturally radioactive mineral water or deuterium-depleted water are here described. Culturing microorganisms in naturally radioactive mineral water yielded one order of magnitude more live microbial cells in comparison with culturing in deuterium-depleted water. Based on these experimental results, a method for co-culturing prebiotic microorganisms (cyanobacteria) that are extremely resistant to the harmful effects of radiations, together with the probiotics mentioned above, is described. The goal of this co-culture in naturally radioactive mineral water is to transfer the information from the radiation-resistant microorganisms to the probiotics whose viability is enhanced by natural radioactivity. Expression of DNA repair genes in cyanobacteria is induced by co-culturing in a medium of carbonated mineral water naturally containing the radioactive isotopes 228U and 226Ra. The culture medium, in addition to naturally radioactive water, contains silica from vegetal origin to enhance horizontal gene transfer. Finally, it is described the transfer of resistance to the harmful effects of radiations to human cells through a Lactococcus phage-encoded protein, ORF252, that is the evolutionary precursor of human proteins involved in DNA repair and cancer protection.

Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krokidis ◽  
Parlanti ◽  
D’Errico ◽  
Pascucci ◽  
Pino ◽  
...  

Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is a DNA repair disease characterized by nucleotide excision repair (NER) malfunction, leading to photosensitivity and increased incidence of skin malignancies. The role of XP-A in NER pathways has been well studied while discrepancies associated with ROS levels and the role of radical species between normal and deficient XPA cell lines have been observed. Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry we have determined the four 5’,8-cyclopurines (cPu) lesions (i.e., 5′R-cdG, 5′S-cdG, 5′R-cdA and 5′S-cdA), 8-oxo-dA and 8-oxo-dG in wt (EUE-pBD650) and XPA-deficient (EUE-siXPA) human embryonic epithelial cell lines, under different oxygen tension (hyperoxic 21%, physioxic 5% and hypoxic 1%). The levels of Fe and Cu were also measured. The main findings of our study were: (i) the total amount of cPu (1.82–2.52 lesions/106 nucleotides) is the same order of magnitude as 8-oxo-Pu (3.10–4.11 lesions/106 nucleotides) in both cell types, (ii) the four cPu levels are similar in hyperoxic and physioxic conditions for both wt and deficient cell lines, whereas 8-oxo-Pu increases in all cases, (iii) both wt and deficient cell lines accumulated high levels of cPu under hypoxic compared to physioxic conditions, whereas the 8-oxo-Pu levels show an opposite trend, (iv) the diastereoisomeric ratios 5′R/5′S are independent of oxygen concentration being 0.29 for cdG and 2.69 for cdA for EUE-pBD650 (wt) and 0.32 for cdG and 2.94 for cdA for EUE-siXPA (deficient), (v) in deficient cell lines Fe levels were significantly higher. The data show for the first time the connection of oxygen concentration in cells with different DNA repair ability and the levels of different DNA lesions highlighting the significance of cPu. Membrane lipidomic data at 21% O2 indicated differences in the fatty acid contents between wild type and deficient cells, envisaging functional effects on membranes associated with the different repair capabilities, to be further investigated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 76a
Author(s):  
Manasvita Vashisth ◽  
Sangkyun Cho ◽  
Dennis Discher

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 160 (4) ◽  
pp. 1375-1387
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle M D Martini ◽  
Scott Keeney ◽  
Mary Ann Osley

Abstract To investigate the role of the nucleosome during repair of DNA damage in yeast, we screened for histone H2B mutants that were sensitive to UV irradiation. We have isolated a new mutant, htb1-3, that shows preferential sensitivity to UV-C. There is no detectable difference in bulk chromatin structure or in the number of UV-induced cis-syn cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) between HTB1 and htb1-3 strains. These results suggest a specific effect of this histone H2B mutation in UV-induced DNA repair processes rather than a global effect on chromatin structure. We analyzed the UV sensitivity of double mutants that contained the htb1-3 mutation and mutations in genes from each of the three epistasis groups of RAD genes. The htb1-3 mutation enhanced UV-induced cell killing in rad1Δ and rad52Δ mutants but not in rad6Δ or rad18Δ mutants, which are defective in postreplicational DNA repair (PRR). When combined with other mutations that affect PRR, the histone mutation increased the UV sensitivity of strains with defects in either the error-prone (rev1Δ) or error-free (rad30Δ) branches of PRR, but did not enhance the UV sensitivity of a strain with a rad5Δ mutation. When combined with a ubc13Δ mutation, which is also epistatic with rad5Δ, the htb1-3 mutation enhanced UV-induced cell killing. These results suggest that histone H2B acts in a novel RAD5-dependent branch of PRR.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 924
Author(s):  
Laurence Blanchard ◽  
Arjan de Groot

Deinococcus bacteria are extremely resistant to radiation and able to repair a shattered genome in an essentially error-free manner after exposure to high doses of radiation or prolonged desiccation. An efficient, SOS-independent response mechanism to induce various DNA repair genes such as recA is essential for radiation resistance. This pathway, called radiation/desiccation response, is controlled by metallopeptidase IrrE and repressor DdrO that are highly conserved in Deinococcus. Among various Deinococcus species, Deinococcus radiodurans has been studied most extensively. Its genome encodes classical DNA repair proteins for error-free repair but no error-prone translesion DNA polymerases, which may suggest that absence of mutagenic lesion bypass is crucial for error-free repair of massive DNA damage. However, many other radiation-resistant Deinococcus species do possess translesion polymerases, and radiation-induced mutagenesis has been demonstrated. At least dozens of Deinococcus species contain a mutagenesis cassette, and some even two cassettes, encoding error-prone translesion polymerase DnaE2 and two other proteins, ImuY and ImuB-C, that are probable accessory factors required for DnaE2 activity. Expression of this mutagenesis cassette is under control of the SOS regulators RecA and LexA. In this paper, we review both the RecA/LexA-controlled mutagenesis and the IrrE/DdrO-controlled radiation/desiccation response in Deinococcus.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 504
Author(s):  
Takayuki Saitoh ◽  
Tsukasa Oda

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy characterized by genomic instability. MM cells present various forms of genetic instability, including chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability, and base-pair alterations, as well as changes in chromosome number. The tumor microenvironment and an abnormal DNA repair function affect genetic instability in this disease. In addition, states of the tumor microenvironment itself, such as inflammation and hypoxia, influence the DNA damage response, which includes DNA repair mechanisms, cell cycle checkpoints, and apoptotic pathways. Unrepaired DNA damage in tumor cells has been shown to exacerbate genomic instability and aberrant features that enable MM progression and drug resistance. This review provides an overview of the DNA repair pathways, with a special focus on their function in MM, and discusses the role of the tumor microenvironment in governing DNA repair mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Ching Lin ◽  
Yi-Ru Shen ◽  
Chi-Chih Chang ◽  
Xiang-Yi Guo ◽  
Yun-Yun Young ◽  
...  

AbstractDifferent levels of regulatory mechanisms, including posttranscriptional regulation, are needed to elaborately regulate inflammatory responses to prevent harmful effects. Terminal uridyltransferase 7 (TUT7) controls RNA stability by adding uridines to its 3′ ends, but its function in innate immune response remains obscure. Here we reveal that TLR4 activation induces TUT7, which in turn selectively regulates the production of a subset of cytokines, including Interleukin 6 (IL-6). TUT7 regulates IL-6 expression by controlling ribonuclease Regnase-1 mRNA (encoded by Zc3h12a gene) stability. Mechanistically, TLR4 activation causes TUT7 to bind directly to the stem-loop structure on Zc3h12a 3′-UTR, thereby promotes Zc3h12a uridylation and degradation. Zc3h12a from LPS-treated TUT7-sufficient macrophages possesses increased oligo-uridylated ends with shorter poly(A) tails, whereas oligo-uridylated Zc3h12a is significantly reduced in Tut7-/- cells after TLR4 activation. Together, our findings reveal the functional role of TUT7 in sculpting TLR4-driven responses by modulating mRNA stability of a selected set of inflammatory mediators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rodrigues ◽  
Manoj Gurung ◽  
Zhipeng Li ◽  
Manuel García-Jaramillo ◽  
Renee Greer ◽  
...  

AbstractWestern diet (WD) is one of the major culprits of metabolic disease including type 2 diabetes (T2D) with gut microbiota playing an important role in modulating effects of the diet. Herein, we use a data-driven approach (Transkingdom Network analysis) to model host-microbiome interactions under WD to infer which members of microbiota contribute to the altered host metabolism. Interrogation of this network pointed to taxa with potential beneficial or harmful effects on host’s metabolism. We then validate the functional role of the predicted bacteria in regulating metabolism and show that they act via different host pathways. Our gene expression and electron microscopy studies show that two species from Lactobacillus genus act upon mitochondria in the liver leading to the improvement of lipid metabolism. Metabolomics analyses revealed that reduced glutathione may mediate these effects. Our study identifies potential probiotic strains for T2D and provides important insights into mechanisms of their action.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wasim Feroz ◽  
Arwah Mohammad Ali Sheikh

Abstract Background Cells have evolved balanced mechanisms to protect themselves by initiating a specific response to a variety of stress. The TP53 gene, encoding P53 protein, is one of the many widely studied genes in human cells owing to its multifaceted functions and complex dynamics. The tumour-suppressing activity of P53 plays a principal role in the cellular response to stress. The majority of the human cancer cells exhibit the inactivation of the P53 pathway. In this review, we discuss the recent advancements in P53 research with particular focus on the role of P53 in DNA damage responses, apoptosis, autophagy, and cellular metabolism. We also discussed important P53-reactivation strategies that can play a crucial role in cancer therapy and the role of P53 in various diseases. Main body We used electronic databases like PubMed and Google Scholar for literature search. In response to a variety of cellular stress such as genotoxic stress, ischemic stress, oncogenic expression, P53 acts as a sensor, and suppresses tumour development by promoting cell death or permanent inhibition of cell proliferation. It controls several genes that play a role in the arrest of the cell cycle, cellular senescence, DNA repair system, and apoptosis. P53 plays a crucial role in supporting DNA repair by arresting the cell cycle to purchase time for the repair system to restore genome stability. Apoptosis is essential for maintaining tissue homeostasis and tumour suppression. P53 can induce apoptosis in a genetically unstable cell by interacting with many pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic factors. Furthermore, P53 can activate autophagy, which also plays a role in tumour suppression. P53 also regulates many metabolic pathways of glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Thus under mild metabolic stress, P53 contributes to the cell’s ability to adapt to and survive the stress. Conclusion These multiple levels of regulation enable P53 to perform diversified roles in many cell responses. Understanding the complete function of P53 is still a work in progress because of the inherent complexity involved in between P53 and its target proteins. Further research is required to unravel the mystery of this Guardian of the genome “TP53”.


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