[The level of DNA damage and DNA reparation rate in cells of earthworms sampled from natural populations for numerous generations inhabited territories with anthropogenically enhanced levels of radionuclides in soil].

Low doses of ionizing radiation and chemical toxic agent effects on biological systems on different organization levels have been studied by numerous researchers. But there is a clear lack of experimental data that allow one to reveal molecular and cellular adaptations of plants and animals from natural populations to adverse effects of environmental factors. The present study was aimed to assess genotoxic effects in earthworms Aporrectodea caliginosa Savigny and Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister sampled from the populations that during numerous generations inhabited the territories with a technogeneously enhanced content of natural origin radionuclides and heavy metals in soil. The levels ofthe DNA damage detected with alkaline and neutral versions of Comet-assay in invertebrates from contaminated territories were established not to differ from the spontaneous level found in the animals from the reference population. At the same time the rate of the DNA damage reparation induced in A. caliginosa sampled from the contaminated sites with additional acute γ-irradiation (4 Gy) was found to be considerably higher as compared with earthworms from the reference population.