Impaired swimming behaviour and morphology of sperm from barn swallows Hirundo rustica in Chernobyl

Møller, Anders Pape; Mousseau, Timothy A.; Lynnn, C.; Ostermiller, S.; Rudolfsen, Geir

doi:10.1016/j.mrgentox.2007.12.006

Cited by 46 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Background radiation in this environment has had significant negative impact on many birds and other taxa [14,15]. Studies of local barn swallow Hirundo rustica populations have revealed a series of physiological and morphological defects [16,17], including increased sperm abnormalities and reduced sperm swimming speed [11,18]. Our results indicate that most passerine birds in the area are significantly affected by radiation-induced sperm damage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Patterns of sperm damage in Chernobyl passerine birds suggest a trade-off between sperm length and integrity

et al. 2013

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Interspecific variation in sperm size is enigmatic, but generally assumed to reflect species-specific trade-offs in selection pressures. Among passerine birds, sperm length varies sevenfold, and sperm competition risk seems to drive the evolution of longer sperm. However, little is known about factors favouring short sperm or constraining the evolution of longer sperm. Here, we report a comparative analysis of sperm head abnormalities among 11 species of passerine bird in Chernobyl, presumably resulting from chronic irradiation following the 1986 accident. Frequencies of sperm abnormalities varied between 15.7 and 77.3% among species, more than fourfold higher than in uncontaminated areas. Nonetheless, species ranked similarly in sperm abnormalities in unpolluted areas as in Chernobyl, pointing to intrinsic factors underlying variation in sperm damage among species. Scanning electron microscopy of abnormal spermatozoa revealed patterns of acrosome damage consistent with premature acrosome reaction. Sperm length, but not sperm competition risk explained variation in sperm damage among species. This suggests that longer spermatozoa are more susceptible to premature acrosome reaction. Therefore, we hypothesize a trade-off between sperm length and sperm integrity affecting sperm evolution in passerine birds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Patterns of sperm damage in Chernobyl passerine birds suggest a trade-off between sperm length and integrity

et al. 2013

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“…The testis, as one of the most radiation sensitive organs, can be significantly impaired by even low doses of radiation [8]. The reported dysfunctions include sperm chromosome aberrations [9], motility decreased [10], swimming behavior impaired [11] and testis weights decreased [12]. Spermatogenesis is a complex process involving a wide series of cellular events, ranging from spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and spermatozoa [13, 14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taurine Protects Mouse Spermatocytes from Ionizing Radiation-Induced Damage Through Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling

Yang¹,

Huang²,

Xiao³

et al. 2017

Cell Physiol Biochem

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Background/Aims: The increasing prevalence of ionizing radiation exposure has inevitably raised public concern over the potential detrimental effects of ionizing radiation on male reproductive system function. The detection of drug candidates to prevent reproductive system from damage caused by ionizing radiation is urgent. We aimed to investigate the protective role of taurine on the injury of mouse spermatocyte-derived cells (GC-2) subjected to ionizing radiation. Methods: mouse spermatocytes (GC-2 cells) were exposed to ionizing radiation with or without treatment of Taurine. The effect of ionizing radiation and Taurine treatment on GC-2 cells were evaluated by cell viability assay (CCK8), cell cycle and apoptosis. The relative protein abundance change was determined by Western blotting. The siRNA was used to explore whether Nrf2 signaling was involved in the cytoprotection of Taurine. Results: Taurine significantly inhibited the decrease of cell viability, percentage of apoptotic cells and cell cycle arrest induced by ionizing radiation. Western blot analysis showed that taurine significantly limited the ionizing radiation-induced down-regulation of CyclinB1 and CDK1, and suppressed activation of Fas/FasL system pathway. In addition, taurine treatment significantly increased the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in GC-2 cells exposed to ionizing radiation, two components in antioxidant pathway. The above cytoprotection of Taurine was blocked by siNrf2. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that taurine has the potential to effectively protect GC-2 cells from ionizing radiation- triggered damage via upregulation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.

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“…Møller et al (2005aMøller et al ( , 2008 reported significantly elevated hatching failure in birds near Chernobyl compared to control populations, possibly due to embryo mortality caused by either damaged sperm and/or eggs, and hatching failure was also reported for butterflies at Fukushima (Hiyama et al 2012). The main factors determining fecundity is whether an individual survives to the age of first reproduction and the number of subsequent years of reproduction.…”

Section: Identification Of Environmental Indicators Of Ionizing Radiamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…A large fraction of sperm cells has abnormal morphology and behavior, preventing them from fertilization. The frequency of such abnormal sperm is known to increase with the level of background radiation (Møller et al 2005b), and such sperm cells have inferior swimming behavior, which may prevent fertilization (Møller et al 2008;BonisoliAlquati et al 2011). A similar production of abnormal germ cells occurs in pollen, which likewise have high frequencies of abnormalities that prevent fertilization.…”

Section: Identification Of Environmental Indicators Of Ionizing Radiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Indicators of Ionizing Radiation in Nature

Møller

Mousseau

2014

Environmental Indicators

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Ionizing radiation that consists of α, β and γ rays can directly damage DNA and other molecules and as such result in somatic or germline mutations. The consequences of ionizing radiation for living beings cannot be measured with a Geiger counter because it will depend on external dose, internal dose, and the extent of DNA repair. In addition it will depend on the environmental conditions under which living organisms exist. We list environmental indicators of ionizing condition that reveal immediate and long-term consequences ranging from changes in DNA, over damaged cells and organs to altered gene function and development, reduced fecundity and survival, and hence to negative population trends, and altered communities and ecosystems and perturbed ecosystem functioning. We test for consistency in biological indicator ability across spatial and temporal scales relying on long-term field data collected at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and we test for consistency in indicator ability among indicators. Finally, we address the direct and indirect effects of ionizing radiation and we discuss the species or taxa most susceptible to the effects of radiation.

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Impaired swimming behaviour and morphology of sperm from barn swallows Hirundo rustica in Chernobyl

Cited by 46 publications

References 18 publications

Patterns of sperm damage in Chernobyl passerine birds suggest a trade-off between sperm length and integrity

Patterns of sperm damage in Chernobyl passerine birds suggest a trade-off between sperm length and integrity

Taurine Protects Mouse Spermatocytes from Ionizing Radiation-Induced Damage Through Activation of Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling

Biological Indicators of Ionizing Radiation in Nature

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