Zabolotny Institute of Microbiology and Virology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Microorganisms as a model system for studying the biological effects of

electromagnetic non-ionizing radiation

ELENA N. GROMOZOVA VOYCHUK S.I., ZELENA L.B.,

GRETCKEY I.A.  

IMV NASU is the biggest scientific research center in the area of systematic, physiology, biochemistry, ecology and genetics of microorganisms, biotechnology and general virology in Ukraine and one of the biggest research centers in the former USSR. Organized on the 31st of May 1928 by the Dmitriy K. Zabolotny.

Directions of work

Study of fundamentals of biologic activity of

microorganisms and viruses aimed at its

regulation

Study in ecology and systematic of

microorganisms and viruses, strain selection and development for the biotechnological needs

The Ukrainian Collection of Microorganisms

• the big collection of nonpathogeneous strains of microorganisms a lot of which are used in molecular-biological investigations and biotechnology

Chromosomal aberrations in cells of onion (Allium-test)

Objects of research

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Candida spp.

Two directions of our researches

Natural radiationAnthropogenic

EMF

Natural radiation

-0,053

-0,083

-0,571

0,722

-1,369

-3,30 3

p=,05

Effect Estimate (Absolute Value)

Temperature

Moisture

Flares C

Ap index

Flares M

Solar wind speed

Specific growth rate Solar wind speed

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800

Solar wind speed

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Gro

wth

Rat

e

R 2=0.312R=-0.559 p=0.000

AntibioticsАР-index,

nT

Wolf’s number

(R)

Solar wind speed, km/sec

Solar flux

(10,4 cm)

Klotrimazole 0,09 -0,51 0,61 -0,53

Nystatin 0,24 -0,45 0,35 -0,37

Fluconazole 0,07 -0,36 0,43 -0,33

Metachromazy reaction

29333741454953576165697377

52

60

68

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Red

Blue

Type 3

90-100

80-90

70-80

60-70

50-60

40-50

30-40

20-30

10-20

0-10

19232731353943475155596367

44

53

62

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Red

Blue

Type 1

1000-1200

800-1000

600-800

400-600

200-400

0-200

(PO4)n

Volutin grains

morphology

Volutin grains“Dancing bodies”

Variations of Solar activity (in days, by Vladimirskiy 1994)

Periodicity of metachromasy

Cosinor analysis Fourier analysis

3,5 - 3,2

5,0 5,0 5,3

7,0 - 7,4

9,0 9,0 10,5

13,5 14,0 13,7

17 - 18

21 22 20

23 - 23

26-29 27 28,5

30 - -

34 35 33,8-35,9

441 47 44 - 46,5

53,2 51 52,9

- 59 59

87 89 84,6

114 108 103-119

120 124 121

152-155 153 153-157

VHF (very high frequency) EMF generators40.68 MHz,15W, 30W,EF = 90-92 V/m, MF = 1.25-2.2 А/m

Video display terminals (VDT)

Used in medicine for UHF-therapy

EHF (extremely high frequency) EMF generator

Used in medicine for EHF-therapy

30-40 GHz,25mkT

Emit complex radiation of varied frequencies

UHF (ultra high frequency) EMF generators

Used in global system for mobile communications

DCS-1800MHz10-1000 mkW/cm2

Anthropogenic EMF

Yeast Population, Cell and Subcellular effects of EMFs

VHF UHF EHF VDT

Growth rate change change n/d unchanged

Cell cycle propagation

changed n/d n/d n/d

Apoptosis increase n/d n/d decrease

Stress resistance increase unchanged n/d change

Enzyme activity change change n/d unchanged

Adhesive properties change change change n/d

Membrane permeability

decrease decrease n/d unchanged

Surface potential unchanged unchanged unchanged unchanged

Treatment Live cells, %

Untreated VHF EMF

Optimal conditions 92.5±1.7 93.1±1.4

Acidity (pH 2,7) 52.5±10.6 85.5±6.5

Freezing-thawing 40.0±14.1 92.5±3.5

Yeast Population Effects

Cell surface effects

Control

Irradiated Nano-hardness

Energy dispersive analysis

YeastMembrane permeability,

%

Untreated VHF EMF

S. cerevisiae 100 84

C. utilis 100 76

S. pombe 100 45

Membrane effects

Not changed:

Fatty acids composition

Dzetta-potentialHydrophobicity

Genome stability effects of UHF EMF

2 days exposition

Y-517

CRY CNX Y-517

CRY CNX Y-517

CRY CNX Y-517

CRY CNX

50mkW/сm2

200 mkW/сm2

1000mkW/сm 2

500bp

1000bp

100bp

Power of expositionStrain

6 weeks exposition

500bp

1000bp

100bp

Control

Control

Irradiated 2 days

Irradiated 6 weeks

Fibroblasts (F)

F+Yeast

F+Irradiated Yeast

Cell-to-cell interaction effects

Parameter Yeast RatsCytomorphological changes

Yes Yes

Metabolic activity changes

Yes Yes

Physiological changes Yes YesBehavioral changes n/d YesGenome changes Yes Yes

Effects revertion Not complete

n/d

Yeast vsRatscomparative study

EMF yeast cells

Signal amplification with bio-stimulators

EHF-dielectrometry

Bio-stimulators are the chemicals with known mechanism of bio actionBiosensor device

Main elements of the Biosensor based on the EHF-dielectrometry

and Yeast cells

5 15 3050

70

90

110

130

150

1 µW

10 µW

100 µW

time, min

Bio

lum

ines

cent

ind

ex B

I, %

Biolunimescence level of Photobacterium phosphoreum under

EHF EMF

Thanks a lot for your attention

to be continued …

Our proposals for collaboration and future work:

1. Comparative study of biological action of non-ionizing and ionizing radiation in low doses;

2. Development of biosensors to non-ionizing EMFs;3. Creation and evaluation of protection items against

negative action of non-ionizing EMFs;4. Researches on dosimetry, norms and standards of

biological action of non-ionizing EMFs.

Academic Writing Residency

http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/bellagio-center/residency-program/academic-writing-residency