Chernobyl’s radioactive worms: the key to therapy

microscopic insects those who live in highly radioactive environments Chernobyl Exclusion ZoneIt appears to completely resist radiation damage, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences,

Contrary to what one would expect in such a dangerous place, nematodes congregated at this location They show no signs of damage to their genome., This discovery does not mean that the area is safe, but rather that the insects have proven to be resistant and adaptable to conditions that may be unsuitable for other species.

According to a team of biologists, this phenomenon could provide valuable insight into the mechanisms of DNA repair, In the future, these mechanisms may be adapted for use in human medicine. Since the reactor explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986, the surrounding area and the adjacent Ukrainian city of Pripyat have been off limits to anyone without government approval.

Radioactive substances present in the environment expose organisms to extremely dangerous levels of ionizing radiation, which greatly increases the risk of mutation, cancer And even death.

“Radioactive” animals

It must have been thousands of years ago.”Chernobyl“, as written Ukrainian, once again safe for human habitation. As a result, most of us know this and stay away from that place. However, the animals don’t know this and since then, the exclusion zone has become a strange sanctuary for “radioactive animals” covering 2,600 square kilometers.

Tests conducted on animals living in this area have revealed clear genetic differences compared to animals that do not live there. Despite this, there is still much we do not know about the impacts of disasters on local ecosystems.

Researchers say Chernobyl was a tragedy of a scale beyond comprehension, did the sudden change select for species or individuals that were naturally more resistant to radiation? This question remains unanswered, but may provide valuable insight for future progress. human medicine,

One obvious way to address this question is to look at nematodes, microscopic worms that inhabit a variety of habitats, including the bodies of other organisms. These nematodes have been shown remarkably resistant, In many cases, they have resurfaced after being frozen in permafrost, a layer of frozen soil, for at least two years.

Nematodes have simple genomes and are relatively short-lived, allowing many generations to be studied in a short period of time. For this reason, they have become excellent model organisms for investigating a variety of aspects from biological development to DNA repair and response to toxins.

test results

In reference to Chernobyl, scientists dig to find nematodes Species Osshius tipula, which usually lives in the ground. They collected hundreds of these insects from fruits, leaf litter and soil of the exclusion zone.

He used Geiger counters to measure ambient radiation and protected himself against it with suits radioactive dust, Researchers reproduced more than 200 of these insects in the laboratory. Then, they selected 15 O. tipula specimens to perform genome sequencing.

The sequenced genome of Chernobyl worms was compared with the genomes of five O. tipula specimens from different parts of the world such as Australia, the Philippines, the United States, Germany and Mauritius. Chernobyl worms showed greater genetic similarity to each other than to other worms. This genetic similarity was also related to the geographic distance between samples. 20 strains were analyzed,

The research team carefully examined the genomes of these insects and found no large-scale chromosomal rearrangements, which would typically be expected in a mutagenic environment. Furthermore, no significant correlation was found between the mutation rates of the worms and the intensity of environmental radiation at the place of origin of each worm. Despite the radioactive environment, no obvious signs of damage were found DNA from Chernobyl worms,

Finally, tests were conducted on descendants of 20 worm strains to determine their tolerance. dna damage, Although each lineage showed a different level of tolerance, no correlation was found with the environmental radiation to which their ancestors were exposed.

The team of researchers concluded that there is no evidence of genetic influence of environment on the genome of O. tipula. However, the discovery may help scientists understand why some humans are more susceptible to cancer than others. Considering how people respond differently to DNA damaging agents in the environment will give us a clearer view of our risk factors and insights. Treatment of mutagenic diseases possible,

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