SREL Reprint #3640

Effects of chronic exposure to low levels of IR on Medaka (Oryzias latipes): a proteomic and bioinformatic approach

Yeni Natalia C. Pérez-Gélvez1, Alvin C. Camus2, Robert Bridger3, Lance Wells3, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.4,
and Carl W. Bergmann3

1Carbohydrate Complex Research Center, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
2College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
3Carbohydrate Complex Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
4Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Odum School of Ecology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

Abstract:
Purpose: Chronic exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) at low doses (<100mGy) has been insufficiently studied to understand fully the risk to health. Relatively little knowledge exists regarding how species and healthy tissues respond at the protein level to chronic exposure to low doses of IR, and mass spectrometric-based profiling of protein expression is a powerful tool for studying changes in protein abundance.
Materials and methods: SDS gel electrophoresis, LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry-based approaches and bioinformatic data analytics were used to detect proteomic changes following chronic exposure to moderate/low doses of radiation in adults and normally developed Medaka fish (Oryzias latipes).
Results: Significant variations in the abundance of proteins involved in thyroid hormone signaling and lipid metabolism were detected, which could be related to the gonadal regression phenotype observed after 21.04 mGy and 204.3 mGy/day exposure. The global proteomic change was towards overexpression of proteins in muscle and skin, while the opposite effect was observed in internal organs.
Conclusion: The present study provides information on the impacts of biologically relevant low doses of IR, which will be useful in future research for the identification of potential biomarkers of IR exposure and allow for a better assessment of radiation biosafety regulations.

Keywords: Proteomics; low dose ionizing radiation; Medaka

SREL Reprint #3640

Pérez-Gélvez, Y. N. C., A. C. Camus, R. Bridger, L. Wells, O. E. Rhodes Jr. and C. W. Bergmann. 2021. Effects of chronic exposure to low levels of IR on Medaka (Oryzias latipes): a proteomic and bioinformatic approach. International Journal of Radiation Biology 97(10): 1485-1501.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).