Engineered gamma radiation phytosensors for environmental monitoring
Abstract
Nuclear energy, already a practical solution for supplying energy on a scale similar to fossil fuels, will likely increase its footprint over the next several decades to meet current climate goals. Gamma radiation is produced during fission in existing nuclear reactors and thus the need to detect leakage from nuclear plants, and effects of such leakage on ecosystems will likely also increase. At present, gamma radiation is detected using mechanical sensors that have several drawbacks, including: (i) limited availability; (ii) reliance on power supply; and (iii) requirement of human presence in dangerous areas. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a plant biosensor (phytosensor) to detect low‐dose ionizing radiation. The system utilizes synthetic biology to engineer a dosimetric switch into potato utilizing the plant's native DNA damage response (DDR) machinery to produce a fluorescent output. In this work, the radiation phytosensor was shown to respond to a wide range of gamma radiation exposure (10–80 Grey) producing a reporter signal that was detectable at >3 m. Further, a pressure test of the top radiation phytosensor in a complex mesocosm demonstrated full function of the system in a ‘real world’ scenario.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1111/pbi.14072
Entities
People
- Alessandro Occhialini
- Brianna Jacobs
- Britany Morgan
- Caitlin N. Barnes
- Chandler Brown
- Erin M. Seaberry
- Holly Brabazon
- Neal Stewart
- Robert G. Sears
- Scott C. Lenaghan
- Stephen B. Rigoulot
- Tayebeh Kakeshpour
- Tayler M. Schimel
- Yongil Yang
Organizations
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- University of Tennessee