Assessment of DNA damage in somatic and germ cells of animals living with increased radiation background and their offspring

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this work is to assess DNA damage in the somatic and germ cells in root voles living for a long time under conditions of an increased radiation background and to examine the of manifestation of long-term consequences in their offspring.

Materials and methods

Using the DNA comet assay (neutral version), we assessed the proportion of cells with DNA damage in the cells of the thyroid, bone marrow and testicular in root voles (Microtus oeconomus Pall.) that lived under conditions of increased radiation background (exposure dose rate − 0.50–20 μSv/h; Komi Republic, Russia) and in their offspring (F₁–F₃) that were reproduced in a vivarium with a normal radiation background.

Results

In animals caught in a radioactively contaminated area, the level of DNA fragmentation in the thyroid gland, bone marrow and testicular remained within the range of values of control animals. The studies that we continued on the offspring of irradiated root voles that were developing in the vivarium under normal radiation background allowed us to identify an increase in the level of DNA DSBs in the thyroid gland in the F₁ generation, in the bone marrow and testicular cells in the F₂ generation. The modifying effect of urethane showed a similarity in the response of somatic cells in voles that lived for a long time in a radioactively contaminated area and in their offspring that developed with a normal radiation background. The effect of urethane was more conspicuous in thyroid cells that, than in bone marrow cells.

Conclusion

The data obtained on voles from the experimental site indicate adaptation to habitat conditions in a radioactively polluted environment. The provocative effect of urethane made it possible to reveal different response of organs with different proliferative activity. Long-term habitation of voles under conditions of an increased radiation background led to genome instability in their offspring.

Keywords:

• Comet assay
• low dose effects
• thyroid
• bone marrow
• testicular
• genomic instability

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was carried out as a part of the state project Institute of Biology of the Komi SC of the UB RAS ‘The Effect of an Ionizing Factor of a non-radiation nature on biological objects and biogenic migration of heavy natural radionuclides’ [number 122040600024-5].

Notes on contributors

Oksana Raskosha

Oksana Raskosha, Ph.D. in Biology, Radiobiologist, is a Researcher at the Department of Radiobiology, Institute of Biology, Komi Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russia.

Lyudmila Bashlykova

Lyudmila Bashlykova, Ph.D. in Biology, Radiobiologist, is a Researcher at the Department of Radiobiology, Institute of Biology, Komi Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russia.

Natalia Starobor

Natalia Starobor, PhD student, Radiobiologist, is a Researcher at the Department of Radiobiology, Institute of Biology, Komi Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar, Russia.