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Levels and fluxes in enzymatic antioxidants following gamma irradiation are inadequate to confer radiation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster

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Abstract

Ionizing radiation (IR) causes biological effects either by directly damaging the molecules or by generating free radicals. Antioxidant mechanisms are believed to be involved in neutralising free radicals. Levels of antioxidants therefore assume significance in determining the extent of radiation damage. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) exhibits remarkable IR tolerance compared to mammals. Present study addresses the questions (1) Whether levels of antioxidants are high in radio-tolerant fruit fly D. melanogaster compared to mammals? (2) Does the antioxidant activity enhance adequately enough post-irradiation? We analysed enzymatic antioxidant profiles and their fluxes prior to and 60 min post-irradiation (50 Gy). Enzymatic antioxidants were analysed in all the developmental stages of D. melanogaster as the fruit fly shows dramatic changes in radiation resistance during development. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in Drosophila (pre-irradiation) was comparable to that of mammals. Catalase activity was lower than mammals while glutathione peroxidise (DmGPx) activity was significantly higher. Following irradiation SOD showed changes ranging from 1.40 to 1.62 folds only in larval stages. Catalase activity showed positive change of 1.25 folds only in adults. Activity of DmGPx was largely unaffected. Early pupae showed increased (3.67 fold) glutathione S-transferase activity post-irradiation. Non-enzymatic antioxidants such as total antioxidant capacity showed significant whereas reduced glutathione showed insignificant flux. In conclusion, the levels of enzymatic antioxidants in Drosophila compared to IR sensitive mammals and post-irradiation fluxes in antioxidant enzyme levels appear inadequate to explicate the dramatic radiation resistance observed in Drosophila. The observations are in agreement with the recent findings refuting the role of enzymatic antioxidants in radiation resistance.

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Abbreviations

D. melanogaster :

Drosophila melanogaster

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

Gy:

Gray

FI:

First instar larvae

SI:

Second instar larvae

FTI:

Feeding third instar larvae

NFTI:

Non-feeding third instar larvae

LD50 :

Lethal dose to kill 50% population

TAC:

Total antioxidant capacity

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

DmGPx:

Glutathione peroxidase

GSH:

Reduced glutathione

GST:

Glutathione S-transferase

SEM:

Standard error of mean

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Acknowledgements

Jagdish Gopal Paithankar sincerely thanks University Grants Commission (UGC), India for awarding research fellowship. Authors acknowledge Centre for Application of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology (CARRT), Mangalore University for providing irradiation facility.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Mangalore, Karnataka, 574 199, India

    Jagdish Gopal Paithankar, Shamprasad Varija Raghu & Rajashekhar K Patil

  2. Centre for Application of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology (CARRT), Mangalore University, Mangalore, Karnataka, 574 199, India

    Rajashekhar K Patil

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  1. Jagdish Gopal Paithankar
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Correspondence to Shamprasad Varija Raghu.

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Research involving animal participants

The research involves use of Drosophila melanogaster flies. The ethical clearance certificate from institutional animal ethics committee is provided.

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Paithankar, J.G., Raghu, S.V. & Patil, R.K. Levels and fluxes in enzymatic antioxidants following gamma irradiation are inadequate to confer radiation resistance in Drosophila melanogaster. Mol Biol Rep 45, 1175–1186 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-018-4270-0

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