Effects of ionizing radiation at Drosophila melanogaster with differently active hobo transposons

Abstract

Purpose: The role of transposable elements in formation of radiobiological effects is understudied and contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of Drosophila melanogaster to irradiation depending on the level of activity hobo transposons and the role of hobo transposons in formation of ionizing radiation late effects.

Materials and methods: The individuals of Drosophila melanogaster with different level activity of hobo-elements were exposed to acute irradiation in doses of 1–100 Gy at early ontogenesis stages. The reaction of individuals to exposure was studied using the larvae survival rate, morphological parameters of reproduction system, DNA damage rate, and mutability of mini-white locus.

Results: We found the pronounced linear deferred effects of irradiation for animals with a high activity level of full-size hobo copies. The radiosensitivity of individuals with a mean level of activity transposon was whether higher or did not differ from the radiosensitivity of animals with a low activity hobo.

Conclusion: The obtained results suggest that full-size hobo-elements with a high activity level (less often with a mean activity level) are responsible for delayed deleterious irradiation effects.

Keywords:

• Drosophila
• acute irradiation
• transposons
• DNA damage
• survival rate
• mutability
• reproduction system

Acknowledgments

The work was carried out on theme of research ‘Radionuclides Biogenic Migration Mechanisms and Induced Long-Term Effects in Plants and Animals under the Chronic Radiation and Chemical Effects’ no. 0414-2018-0002, AAAA-A18-118011190102-7.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

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Elena Yushkova

Dr. Elena Yushkova obtained a PhD in radiobiology from Moscow State University in 2008. Currently a senior researcher of the department of radioecology at the Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Yushkova leads research in the fields of radiation genetics, radiobiology, radioecology and gerontology.