Environmental radiation exposure at Chornobyl has not systematically affected the genomes or chemical mutagen tolerance phenotypes of local worms.

ABSTRACT: The 1986 disaster at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant transformed the surrounding region into the most radioactive landscape known on the planet. Whether or not this sudden environmental shift selected for species, or even individuals within a species, that are naturally more resistant to mutagen exposure remains an open question. In this study, we collected, cultured, and cryopreserved 298 wild nematode isolates from areas varying in radioactivity within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. We sequenced and assembled genomes de novo for 20 Oscheius tipulae strains, analyzed their genomes for evidence of recent mutation acquisition in the field, and observed no evidence of an association between mutation and radioactivity at the sites of collection. Multigenerational exposure of each of t

SUBMITTER: Tintori SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10945782 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature