Action of chronic irradiation on the cytogenetic damage of human lymphocyte culture.

The action of chronic irradiation (dose rate 2.9 Gy/day) on human lymphocyte culture was investigated. Whole blood was irradiated at 37 degrees C. Aliquots (0.2 ml) of whole blood were cultivated by the standard method. A medium containing phytohemagglutinin was added immediately after irradiation. All structural chromosome- and chromatid-type changes were recorded. The experimental data showed that the conditions of irradiation of lymphocytes affected neither the background level of chromosome damage nor their radiosensitivity. The obtained dose-response curve of chromosome aberrations was described by a linear regression, which then became a plateau. There is no statistically significant difference between the results for the low doses (10-50 cGy) of chronic and acute radiation.

Genetic effects of cosmic radiation on bacteriophage T4Br+ (on materials of biological experiment "Soyuz-Apollo").

During the experiment "Spore-ring Forming Fungi Biorhythm" of the Apollo-Soyuz test project the Rhythm-1 apparatus contained a dried film culture of bacteriophage T4Br+, growing cultures of Actinomyces and plastic nuclear particle detectors. The following were studied: the frequency of induction of r mutations in the bacteriophage film per 2 X 10(4) surviving particles, the spectrum of mutant types obtained (rI, rII, rIII), and the possible molecular mechanisms for the occurrence of rII mutants with due regard to the registered tracks of heavy nuclear particles. The studies showed that the local radiation due to heavy nuclear particle tracks plays a major role in space radiation damage.

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project on biorhythm of zone-forming fungi: preliminary work.

The purpose of the experiment was to study general and local effects of space flight factors on the rhythm of cellular activity and on the morphological and genetic properties of biological objects. The Pushchino strain, Actinomyces levoris Kras 17-225A-IBFM, isolated at the Institute of Biological Physics, Moscow, was chosen as the main biological object. Under appropriate conditions it gives distinct and continuous rings of spore formation reflecting its intrinsic high degree of synchronism in changing its reproduction forms seen with the unaided eye as transparent rings (vegetative growth) alternate with convex white rings (spore-formation growth). As an additional test object, a film culture of bacteriophage T4Br+ developed at the institute was used. The strains were placed together in one bioblock together with plastic detectors for detecting nuclear particles. The film culture of bacteriophage enabled us to amplify the area of registration of local radiation effects by studying the genetic effects of these: frequency of mutations, induced radiation, their spectrum, subsequent revertability under the action of chemical mutagens with known mechanisms of action on DNA molecules.