A comparative analysis of membrane intactness and genome integrity in pea,barley, and wheat in response to UVC irradiation

Authors

MARIYANA GEORGIEVA
IVELINA NIKOLOVA
GEORGI BONCHEV
ZORNITSA KATEROVA
DESSISLAVA TODOROVA

DOI

10.3906/bot-1502-14

Abstract

The maintenance of plant genome integrity plays a critical function in the processes of DNA replication, transcription, and repair. Short-wave UV radiation (UVC) is among the most harmful agents known to affect genome stability and to induce DNA damage, including double-strand breaks (DSBs). Most previous studies in plants addressed the effects of UVC radiation at the physiological level; however, little research effort has been put into genome sensitivity across different plant species. Here, we made use of the trypan blue exclusion test and neutral comet assay to assess nuclear membrane and genome integrity in response to UVC radiation in monocot and dicot plants. We found that UVC radiation substantially affects nuclear membranes and the level of DSBs in a dose-responsive manner. Furthermore, differential sensitivity across plant species was observed, with monocot plants being less vulnerable to DSBs. This allows us to speculate that plant species with larger genomes may better tolerate UVC radiation.

Keywords

Ultraviolet radiation, genome integrity, trypan blue exclusion test, neutral comet assay, DNA double-strand breaks

First Page

1008

Last Page

1013

Recommended Citation

GEORGIEVA, MARIYANA; NIKOLOVA, IVELINA; BONCHEV, GEORGI; KATEROVA, ZORNITSA; and TODOROVA, DESSISLAVA (2015) "A comparative analysis of membrane intactness and genome integrity in pea,barley, and wheat in response to UVC irradiation," Turkish Journal of Botany: Vol. 39: No. 6, Article 12. https://doi.org/10.3906/bot-1502-14
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/botany/vol39/iss6/12