Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation
Summary Melanin is a ubiquitous pigment with unique physicochemical properties. The resistance of melanized fungi to cosmic and terrestrial ionizing radiation suggests that melanin also plays a pivotal role in radioprotection. In this study, we compared the effects of densely‐ionizing deuterons and...
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crwiley:10.1111/1462-2920.13681 2024-06-23T07:45:58+00:00 Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation Pacelli, Claudia Bryan, Ruth A. Onofri, Silvano Selbmann, Laura Shuryak, Igor Dadachova, Ekaterina Defense Threat Reduction Agency 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1462-2920.13681 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#am http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Environmental Microbiology volume 19, issue 4, page 1612-1624 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 journal-article 2017 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 2024-06-13T04:24:54Z Summary Melanin is a ubiquitous pigment with unique physicochemical properties. The resistance of melanized fungi to cosmic and terrestrial ionizing radiation suggests that melanin also plays a pivotal role in radioprotection. In this study, we compared the effects of densely‐ionizing deuterons and sparsely‐ionizing X‐rays on two microscopic fungi capable of melanogenesis. We utilized the fast‐growing pathogenic basiodiomycete forming an induced DOPA‐melanin, Cryptococcus neoformans (CN); and the slow‐growing environmental rock‐inhabiting ascomycete synthesizing a constitutive DHN‐melanin, Cryomyces antarcticus (CA); melanized and non‐melanized counterparts were compared. CA was more resistant to deuterons than CN, and similar resistance was observed for X‐rays. Melanin afforded protection against high‐dose (1.5 kGy) deuterons for both CN and CA ( p ‐values < 10 −4 ). For X‐rays (0.3 kGy), melanin protected CA ( p ‐values < 10 −4 ) and probably CN. Deuterons increased XTT activity in melanized strains of both species, while the activity in non‐melanized cells remained stable or decreased. For ATP levels the reverse occurred: it decreased in melanized strains, but not in non‐melanized ones, after deuteron exposure. For both XTT and ATP, which reflect the metabolic activity of the cells, larger and more statistically‐significant differences as a function of melanization status occurred in CN. Our data show, for the first time, that melanin protected both fast‐growing and slow‐growing fungi from high doses of deuterons under physiological conditions. These observations may give clues for creating melanin‐based radioprotectors. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* antarcticus Wiley Online Library Environmental Microbiology 19 4 1612 1624 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
description |
Summary Melanin is a ubiquitous pigment with unique physicochemical properties. The resistance of melanized fungi to cosmic and terrestrial ionizing radiation suggests that melanin also plays a pivotal role in radioprotection. In this study, we compared the effects of densely‐ionizing deuterons and sparsely‐ionizing X‐rays on two microscopic fungi capable of melanogenesis. We utilized the fast‐growing pathogenic basiodiomycete forming an induced DOPA‐melanin, Cryptococcus neoformans (CN); and the slow‐growing environmental rock‐inhabiting ascomycete synthesizing a constitutive DHN‐melanin, Cryomyces antarcticus (CA); melanized and non‐melanized counterparts were compared. CA was more resistant to deuterons than CN, and similar resistance was observed for X‐rays. Melanin afforded protection against high‐dose (1.5 kGy) deuterons for both CN and CA ( p ‐values < 10 −4 ). For X‐rays (0.3 kGy), melanin protected CA ( p ‐values < 10 −4 ) and probably CN. Deuterons increased XTT activity in melanized strains of both species, while the activity in non‐melanized cells remained stable or decreased. For ATP levels the reverse occurred: it decreased in melanized strains, but not in non‐melanized ones, after deuteron exposure. For both XTT and ATP, which reflect the metabolic activity of the cells, larger and more statistically‐significant differences as a function of melanization status occurred in CN. Our data show, for the first time, that melanin protected both fast‐growing and slow‐growing fungi from high doses of deuterons under physiological conditions. These observations may give clues for creating melanin‐based radioprotectors. |
author2 |
Defense Threat Reduction Agency |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pacelli, Claudia Bryan, Ruth A. Onofri, Silvano Selbmann, Laura Shuryak, Igor Dadachova, Ekaterina |
spellingShingle |
Pacelli, Claudia Bryan, Ruth A. Onofri, Silvano Selbmann, Laura Shuryak, Igor Dadachova, Ekaterina Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
author_facet |
Pacelli, Claudia Bryan, Ruth A. Onofri, Silvano Selbmann, Laura Shuryak, Igor Dadachova, Ekaterina |
author_sort |
Pacelli, Claudia |
title |
Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
title_short |
Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
title_full |
Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
title_fullStr |
Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
title_sort |
melanin is effective in protecting fast and slow growing fungi from various types of ionizing radiation |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1462-2920.13681 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 |
genre |
Antarc* antarcticus |
genre_facet |
Antarc* antarcticus |
op_source |
Environmental Microbiology volume 19, issue 4, page 1612-1624 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#am http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13681 |
container_title |
Environmental Microbiology |
container_volume |
19 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1612 |
op_container_end_page |
1624 |
_version_ |
1802643234960179200 |