How super resilient tardigrades can fix their radiation
Microscopic tardigrades have fascinated scientists for their incredible toughness since they were first discovered back in 1773. They can sense when it’s time to go dormant and enter a tun state under harsh conditions. Tardigrades can even withstand dangerous levels of radiation and a surprising mechanism in the DNA may be why. The process to repair DNA goes into overtime when exposed to the deadly radiation to fix the damaged DNA. The findings are described in a study published April 12 in the journal Current Biology.
“What we saw surprised us,” study co-author and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill biologist Bob Goldstein said in a statement. “The tardigrades are doing something we hadn’t expected.”
Among the many dangers of excessive radiation exposure is its ability to damage DNA. In humans, the DNA damage from excessive radiation is linked to diseases including various cancers and cardiovascular disease. Tardigrade aka “water bears” can withstand an incredible amount of radiation. In 1963, researchers first discovered that they can survive 1,400 times more intense radiation than humans are known to live through. Now, scientists are getting a glimpse into how their bodies correct the radiation damage in DNA.
[Related: What you need to know about the tardigrade cannon.]
In this new study, a team at UNC Chapel Hill used lab methods developed over the past 25 years to identify the internal genetic mechanisms tardigrades use to survive radiation exposure. They looked at a species of tardigrade called Hypsibius exemplaristhat are not immune to DNA damage from radiation. Instead, they can repair this type of extensive damage. When they are exposed to radiation, tardigrade cells harness the power of hundreds of genes to create new proteins used to repair DNA. These proteins then ramp up the level of DNA repair to levels study co-author and biologist Courtney Clark-Hachtel called “ridiculous.”
“These animals are mounting an incredible response to radiation, and that seems to be a secret to their extreme survival abilities,” Clark-Hachtel said in a statement. “What we are learning about how tardigrades overcome radiation stress can lead to new ideas about how we might try to protect other animals and microorganisms from damaging radiation.”
[Related: We’ve seen how tardigrades walk, and it’s mesmerizing.]
As the UNC-Chapel Hill scientists completed the work, a team from France found similar results in their experiments. Museum of Natural History Paris researchers Jean-Paul Concordet and Anne de Cian and their colleagues found that while gamma rays shattered the DNA of the tardigrades, it didn’t kill them. They also discovered a new tardigrade protein called TRD1 that protects DNA. When it is put into human cells, the protein seems to help them withstand the damage. Concordet told The New York Timesthat TRD1 may grab onto the chromosomes and keep them in their correct shape, even as the chromosome strands start to fray. Understanding proteins like these can potentially lead to new treatments for cancer and other medical disorders where DNA is damaged.
“Any tricks they use we might benefit from,” said Concordet. Concordet’s findings were published as a reviewed preprint in the journal eLifein January.
(责任编辑:关于我们)
- NASA says Earth just had the hottest day ever recorded
- Google Maps removes Uber feature for booking rides without leaving app
- North Korean premier calls for building Mt. Kumgang tourist area 'our own way'
- Meeting with unification minister
- Giant dual
- World’s first ‘meltdown
- Biden says Japan can go nuclear 'virtually overnight'
- Chris Hemsworth's kids watching him on TV at the Golden Globes is too adorable
- California democrat with ties to AT&T guts net neutrality legislation
- NASA rover snaps photo of its most daunting challenge yet
- Meeting with unification minister
- North Korea sees talks as way to advance nuclear program, says US intel official
- Xi congratulates Kim Jong
-
中山古镇:到苏炳添家乡看“村BA”,来一场说走就走的美食之旅
中山古镇:到苏炳添家乡看“村BA”,来一场说走就走的美食之旅_南方+_南方plus小到客厅、卧室、厨房,大到去商超购物、博物馆参观,甚至是在体育馆看一场演唱会……总有一盏点亮你生活的灯,来自这里。中国 ...[详细] -
North Korean premier calls for building Mt. Kumgang tourist area 'our own way'
North Korea's Premier Kim Tok-hun, second from left, is at the Mount Kumgang region development site ...[详细] -
North Korea stole $300 million in crypto to fund nukes: UN experts
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends at a ...[详细] -
North Korea stole $300 million in crypto to fund nukes: UN experts
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends at a ...[详细] -
50 Years Later: The Revolutionary 8008 Microprocessor
Guest author Ken Shirriff is a Silicon Valley-based computer enthusiast who enjoys reverse-engineeri ...[详细] -
Korea's Coast Guard stations 5,000
Korea's Coast Guard stationed its largest patrol vessel off Jeju Island to better guard its territor ...[详细] -
North Korea sees talks as way to advance nuclear program, says US intel official
North Korean soldiers march in formation during a military parade marking the Workers' Party Congres ...[详细] -
Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross took home her first Golden Globe for best actress in a TV comedy or ...[详细]
-
'Black Myth: Wukong' PS5 review in progress: A potential masterpiece
Black Myth: Wukongwantsto be the modern action RPG we’ve all been waiting for. It checks all t ...[详细] -
A British top policeman has proposed a punishment for teenage hackers: force them to wear Wi-Fi jamm ...[详细]
- Smiley face on Mars is a telltale sign of its past
- Apple Maps is down
- Facebook launches poll, game, and monetization features for video
- Oppo found a really creative way to kill the smartphone 'notch'
- 多措并举优治理 绘就幸福新图景
- 茶都一样,你泡的咋比我泡的安逸呢
- Controversy erupts over Seoul's possible push to build nuke plant in North Korea