Plant transgenics track Chernobyl's fallout

Ionising radiation and mutation induction at mouse minisatellite loci. The story of the two generations

The analysis of the effects of ionising radiation on germline mutations is limited by the number of offspring that need to be analysed following exposure to a dose, which is relevant to risk assessment in humans. We have developed a new experimental approach using hypervariable mouse expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) loci (minisatellites) which are both highly sensitive to ionising radiation and which permit changes in mutation rates to be detected in relatively small samples. Here, we review the progress made in validating the model, and the unexpected features it has revealed, including a novel form of radiation-induced genetic instability that can be transmitted from one generation to the next.

Radiation hazard caused by the Chernobyl accident in inhabited areas of Ukraine can be monitored by transgenic plants

The genetic impact of the 1986 accident at the Ukraine Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on populations of living organisms has yet to be fully assessed. Monitoring of the genotoxicity of polluted soils is a key element in the disaster management program. We used Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum plants transgenic for a reporter gene revealing homologous recombination to study the genetic effects of chronic low-dose radiation stemming from the soil in inhabited areas of Ukraine where contamination by the accident ranges from 1 to 40 Ci/km2. We noted a significant dose-dependent increase of homologous recombination in plants cultivated in the affected inhabited areas, proving the persistently high genotoxicity of the radioactively contaminated soils.