Review of Biological Effects of Acute and Chronic Radiation Exposure on Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

Knowledge regarding complex radiation responses in biological systems can be enhanced using genetically amenable model organisms. In this manuscript, we reviewed the use of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), as a model organism to investigate radiation’s biological effects. Diverse types of experiments were conducted on C. elegans, using acute and chronic exposure to different ionizing radiation types, and to assess various biological responses. These responses differed based on the type and dose of radiation and the chemical substances in which the worms were grown or maintained. A few studies compared responses to various radiation types and doses as well as other environmental exposures. Therefore, this paper focused on the effect of irradiation on C. elegans, based on the intensity of the radiation dose and the length of exposure and ways to decrease the effects of ionizing radiation. Moreover, we discussed several studies showing that dietary components such as vitamin A, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polyphenol-rich food source may promote the resistance of C. elegans to ionizing radiation and increase their life span after irradiation.

Targeted Central Nervous System Irradiation with Proton Microbeam Induces Mitochondrial Changes in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…The data inferred from studies investigating the impact of ionizing radiation on mitochondrial function and structure raised our interests to investigate the impact of proton irradiation on mitochondrial function in the nerve ring region of C. elegans [ 18 ]. C. elegans are a well-established research tool suitable for radiobiological studies—as discussed elsewhere—and its implementation in microbeam studies is rising [ 20 , 21 ]. Although each piece of information from microbeam studies is valuable, an essential challenge in microbeam experiments is increasing its efficiency as the ability to perform microbeam experiments is limited and cannot be performed frequently.…”

“…C. elegans are used as a model organism because their genome is fully sequenced, their body is transparent and their internal structure can be observed. In radiobiology, the effects of radiation on vital functions, such as development, locomotion, learning and aging, have been described in C. elegans [ 20 , 21 ]. Our data show a global mitochondrial damage characterized by the immediate loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the induction of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial oxidative stress, an increase in the mtDNA copy number and increased autophagy in the irradiated region.…”

0.263 terahertz irradiation induced genes expression changes in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…In this study, we investigated the effects of radiation on C. elegans , a classic and well-established model organism for studying the bioeffects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation through whole-body exposure. 16 Specifically, a single-frequency impulse wave laser source emitting at 0.263 THz and with a power density of 24 mW/cm 2 was employed to irradiate L4 stage C. elegans for 5 min. The transcriptome changes brought on by THz exposure were identified using transcriptome sequencing after irradiation.…”

High-Dose Irradiation Inhibits Motility and Induces Autophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…C. elegans is used as a model organism because its body is transparent and its internal structure can be observed. In radiation biology, the effects of radiation on vital functions, such as development, locomotion, learning, and aging, have been examined using C. elegans [13]. In adult dividing gonadal cells in an adult C. elegans, exposure to 0.1 kGy of carbon ions induces germ cell corpses and the eggs do not hatch [14].…”

“…However, the mechanisms of these effects are not fully understood. Furthermore, knowledge regarding responses of C. elegans irradiated with a high dose of over 1.5 kGy is very limited [13].…”