A5058649936- Glutathione Transferases and Polymorphisms
- Polar Research and Ecology
- Radioactive contamination and transfer
- Effects of Radiation Exposure
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Fermentation and Sensory Analysis
- Electron Spin Resonance Studies
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
- Astro and Planetary Science
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Radiation Effects and Dosimetry
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Spaceflight effects on biology
- Metal-Catalyzed Oxygenation Mechanisms
- Environmental Toxicology and Ecotoxicology
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- DNA Repair Mechanisms
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Yeasts and Rust Fungi Studies
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
2017-2025
Henry M. Jackson Foundation
2017-2025
Significance Decades of functional genomic efforts have failed to predict the ability cells survive ionizing radiation (IR). Evidence is mounting that small high-symmetry antioxidant complexes manganous ions with metabolites (H-Mn 2+ ) are responsible for cellular IR resistance, and H-Mn protects proteome, not genome, from IR-induced reactive oxygen species. We show amount in nonirradiated living readily gauged by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy highly diagnostic their DNA...
Highly concentrated radionuclide waste produced during the Cold War era is stored at US Department of Energy (DOE) production sites. This radioactive was often highly acidic and mixed with heavy metals, has been leaking into environment since 1950s. Because danger expense cleanup such sites by physicochemical processes, in situ bioremediation methods are being developed for contaminated ground groundwater. To date, most microbial treatment proposed high-level employs radiation-resistant...
Increasingly, national space agencies are expanding their goals to include Mars exploration with sample return. To better protect Earth and its biosphere from potential extraterrestrial sources of contamination, as set forth in the Outer Space Treaty 1967, international efforts develop planetary protection measures strive understand danger cross-contamination processes return missions. We aim impact martian surface on microbial dormancy survivability. Radiation resistance microbes is a key...
Understanding chronic ionizing radiation (CIR) effects is of utmost importance to protecting human health and the environment. Diverse bacteria fungi inhabiting extremely radioactive waste disaster sites (e.g. Hanford, Chernobyl, Fukushima) represent new targets CIR research. We show that many microorganisms can grow under intense gamma-CIR dose rates 13-126 Gy/h, with identified as a particularly CIR-resistant group eukaryotes: among 145 phylogenetically diverse strains tested, 78 grew 36...
Ionizing radiation is a health threat to many, including warfighters, radiological emergency responders, radiotherapy patients, and astronauts. Despite this, no FDA-approved prophylactic medical countermeasures exist attenuate the symptoms that occur from exposure. Manganese has recently been shown be critical for radioresistance in wide range of organisms. In this study, we designed stringent feeding method test effects dietary manganese on Drosophila’s lifespan before exposure acute...
Denham Harman's oxidative damage theory identifies superoxide (O2•-) radicals as central agents of aging and radiation injury, with Mn2+-dependent dismutase (MnSOD) the principal O2•--scavenger. However, in radiation-resistant nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme MnSOD is dispensable for longevity, model bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans, it resistance. Many organisms accumulate small-molecule Mn2+-antioxidant complexes well-known their catalytic ability to...
Abstract Exposure to chronic ionizing radiation (CIR) from nuclear power plant accidents, acts of terrorism, and space exploration poses serious threats humans. Fungi are a group highly radiation-resistant eukaryotes, an understanding fungal CIR resistance mechanisms holds the prospect protecting We compared abilities 95 wild-type yeast dimorphic isolates, representing diverse Ascomycota Basidiomycota , resist exposure five environmentally-relevant stressors: (long-duration growth under 36...
Abstract The genetic platforms of Deinococcus species remain the only systems in which massive ionizing radiation (IR)-induced genome damage can be investigated vivo at exposures commensurate with cellular survival. We report whole sequence extremely IR-resistant rod-shaped bacterium ficus KS 0460 and its phenotypic characterization. has been studied since 1987, first under name Deinobacter grandis , then . D. consists a 4.019 Mbp (69.7% GC content 3894 predicted genes) divided into six...
ABSTRACT The bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi , accumulates high levels of manganese without iron and possesses a polyploid genome, characteristics suggesting potential extreme resistance to radiation. Contrary expectations, we report that wild-type B. B31 cells are radiosensitive, with gamma-radiation survival limit 10 6 <1 kGy. Thus, explored radiosensitivity through electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy by quantitating the fraction Mn 2+ present...