{"id":135455,"date":"2024-12-10T13:59:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T06:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135455"},"modified":"2024-12-10T13:59:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T06:59:02","slug":"this-microbe-eats-radiation-for-breakfast-now-we-know-its-secret-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135455","title":{"rendered":"This Microbe Eats Radiation For Breakfast. Now We Know Its Secret. : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Not all superheroes wear capes. Capable of handling extreme cold, acid, and dehydration, the microbe <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Deinococcus_radiodurans\"><em>Deinococcus radiodurans<\/em><\/a> handles doses of radiation that would kill a human tens of thousands of times over, earning it the nickname &#8216;Conan the Bacterium&#8217; after the valiant <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Conan_the_Barbarian\">pulp fantasy character<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0160575\">secret to micro-Conan&#8217;s strength<\/a> lies in an assortment of highly potent antioxidants that mop up the mess of oxygen radicals before they can damage <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/this-holy-grail-protein-repairs-dna-and-could-lead-to-a-cancer-vaccine\">proteins critical to the cell&#8217;s repair process<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>To better understand how these substances confer protection, researchers from Northwestern University and Uniformed Services University (USU) in the US undertook a detailed study of the chemistry at work.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their findings<\/span> challenge earlier assumptions on how this brute of a bacterium handles blasts of radiation with the unwavering stoicism of its warrior namesake.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146212\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146212\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/d_radioduran_642.jpg\" alt=\"d radiodurans micrograph\" width=\"642\" height=\"550\" class=\"wp-image-146212 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/d_radioduran_642.jpg 642w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/d_radioduran_642-484x415.jpg 484w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/d_radioduran_642-600x514.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146212\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A transmission electron micrograph shows <em>Deinococcus radiodurans<\/em>, a bacterium that is resistant to extreme levels of ionizing radiation and to desiccation. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/pnnl\/3660356342\">Courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory\/Flickr\/<span>CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/span><\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Radiation wreaks harm by overloading the bonds in our biological machinery, causing it to fall apart. In anticipation of this, most living things have efficient repair mechanisms that jump into action to undo the damage in the most critical of systems, such as in genetic materials.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Bombarded with enough ionizing energy or simply stressed by processes such as desiccation, cells will rapidly fill with a toxic form of oxygen molecule shed by the chemical carnage and other metabolic processes. If it&#8217;s not taken care of quickly, these &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-3921\/11\/3\/501\">superoxide radicals<\/a>&#8216; will make short work of any repair mechanisms and allow the damage to mount.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Like many organisms, <em>D. radiodurans<\/em> has <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.dnarep.2011.10.024\">evolved an insurance policy<\/a> against such oxygen damage in the form of a mix of antioxidants. Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/10.1089\/ars.2012.5093\">are based on the element manganese<\/a>, which when paired up with a variety of other materials \u2013 such as phosphate \u2013 eases the stress of rampaging oxygen with remarkable efficiency.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cdnsciencepub.com\/doi\/10.1139\/cjm-2023-0059\">Past studies<\/a> have pinpointed a manganese and phosphate-augmented peptide called MDP as another potential component in this protective shield, which has led to the design of new compounds that preserve the shapes of signature antigen proteins in vaccines that require sterilization by gamma radiation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_146206\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-146206\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/MDP_d_radiodurans_protection.jpg\" alt=\"molecule of mdp\" width=\"642\" height=\"202\" class=\"wp-image-146206 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/MDP_d_radiodurans_protection.jpg 642w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/12\/MDP_d_radiodurans_protection-600x189.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-146206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Structure of the peptide in MDP, with points where manganese ions bind. (Hoffman et al., <em>PNAS<\/em>, 2024)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While <em>D. radiodurans&#8217;<\/em> MDP clearly works wonders for the microbe and for vaccine developers, the comparative strength of its heroic handiwork is based on a few assumptions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.025em;\">To test these, Northwestern chemist Brian Hoffman and USU pathologist Michael Daly led a team of scientists in measuring the activity of MDP&#8217;s components, testing how strongly each bonds in place in the presence of other pieces of the puzzle and how the materials accumulate in the microbe&#8217;s body to cope with damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>They demonstrated the triple-combination structure of manganese, phosphate, and peptide far outdoes any pair of the others.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve long known that manganese ions and phosphate together make a strong antioxidant, but discovering and understanding the &#8216;magic&#8217; potency provided by the addition of the third component is a breakthrough,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1067264\">says<\/a> Hoffman.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This study has provided the key to understanding why this combination is such a powerful \u2013 and promising \u2013 radioprotectant.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>In a study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/ancient-traces-of-life-may-still-linger-on-mars-experiment-suggests\">published in 2022<\/a>, Hoffman and Daly found desiccated, frozen samples of <em>D. radiodurans<\/em> could be revived after soaking up 140,000 grays of radiation. By comparison, it&#8217;d take <a href=\"https:\/\/ionactive.co.uk\/resource-hub\/guidance\/radiation-exposure-dose-and-dose-rate-the-gray-sievert\">just a small handful<\/a> of grays to see most humans to the grave.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>Future research could find manganese-based materials can be tweaked further to bestow us with Conan&#8217;s might, or simply used in other applications that preserve foods or medicines to withstand the stresses of a journey to  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/mars\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73083\" data-postid=\"146199\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">Mars<\/a> and beyond.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START single\/mrec --><br \/>\n<!-- END single\/mrec --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This new understanding of MDP could lead to the development of even more potent manganese-based antioxidants for applications in health care, industry, defense, and space exploration,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1067264\">says<\/a> Daly.<\/p>\n<p>This research is published in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.2417389121\">PNAS<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/study-reveals-new-secrets-on-why-blasting-this-microbe-with-radiation-wont-kill-it\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not all superheroes wear capes. Capable of handling extreme cold, acid, and dehydration, the microbe Deinococcus radiodurans handles doses of radiation that would kill a human tens of thousands of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=135455\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=135455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135455\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=135455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=135455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=135455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}