Genetic effects of space hadrons on bacteriophage under Alpine conditions

• Published in: Life sciences and space research Vol. 18; p. 159
• Main Authors: Yurov, S S, Belkin, V S, Leont'eva, G A, Knjaseva, I N, Mozgovoy, E G, Kuzin, A M, Akoev, I G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 1980
• Subjects: Altitude; Bacteriophage T4 - genetics; Bacteriophage T4 - growth & development; Bacteriophage T4 - radiation effects; Cold Temperature; Cosmic Radiation; DNA Damage; DNA, Viral; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Mutation; Relative Biological Effectiveness
• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-024436-5.50021-4
• ISSN: 0075-9422

A dried film culture of bacteriophage T4Br + was kept in a lead bioblock for 366 days under Alpine conditions at an altitude of 6100 m above sea level to study the genetic effect of space hadrons. In the gelatin-like film under study we discovered some film plots with markedly reduced bacteriophage survival. In such plots, the mutation frequency exceeded the spontaneous background mutation rate 60-100 times. The spectrum of r mutations as classified into standard groups rI, rII and rIII differed from that found for other model radiation systems such as gamma-ray radiation in buffer or nutrient broth, and hadron and HZE particle radiation under space flight conditions. Reversion analysis of 159 rII mutants showed that 54.4% had small and elongated deletions, 23.16% had point mutations, and 22.5% of all the mutants had both small deletion and point mutations.