Discriminatory Transcriptional Response of Environmental Microorganisms and Microbial Communities to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation
Abstract
Discriminatory Transcriptional Response of Environmental Microorganisms and Microbial Communities to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation. The objective of this project is to determine if transcriptional response of environmental microorganisms to radiation exposure can provide discrimination of radiation type through use of representative isotopes and exposures relevant to the sensing of nuclear activities. The ultimate goal will be to develop radionuclide biosensors based on the unique signature of a radionuclide source. Initial studies will be conducted to determine the transcriptional responses of model microorganisms exposed to gamma, beta, alpha, and neutron radiations. Both the initial (immediately post-exposure) and delayed (multiple time points post-exposure) changes will be investigated to find long-lived signals of radiation exposure. The above information will be consolidated into a comprehensive picture of microbial response, elucidating unique signatures of the radiations considered; these signatures can be used to create radionuclide specific biosensors. The scientific impact of this work includes gaining a better understanding of the impact of lowdose radiation exposure on microbial systems associated with the environment (soil and aquatic) and human microbiota, which has high applicability to nuclear forensics. Detection of nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities is critical for supporting warfighter preparation in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) operations, nuclear compliance, and clandestine activities. Radiation detection systems can be sensitive to low levels of radiation, but have three limitations: (1) they must be placed near a radioactive source; (2) they can be easily identified and avoided; and (3) they report the radioactivity at a particular moment in time. Microbial biosensors based on transcriptional changes have the potential to monitor and report on nuclear fuel cycle, enrichment, and weapon development activities with the advantage of being unattended and able to report on radioactivity that used to be present but has moved
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 09, 2017
- Source ID
- HDTRA11710002
Entities
People
- Nichole Martinez
Organizations
- Clemson University
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency