The Transcriptomic Response of Cells of the Thermophilic Bacterium Geobacillus icigianus to Terahertz Irradiation

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2024-11, Vol.25 (22), p.12059
• Main Authors: Peltek, Sergey, Bannikova, Svetlana, Khlebodarova, Tamara M, Uvarova, Yulia, Mukhin, Aleksey M, Vasiliev, Gennady, Scheglov, Mikhail, Shipova, Aleksandra, Vasilieva, Asya, Oshchepkov, Dmitry, Bryanskaya, Alla, Popik, Vasily
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacillus (Bacteria); Bacteria, Thermophilic; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Biosynthesis; Cell culture; Cell cycle; DNA Repair; Enzymes; Gene Expression Profiling - methods; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial - radiation effects; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genomes; Geobacillus - genetics; Geobacillus - metabolism; Geobacillus - radiation effects; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Homeostasis; Metabolism; Physiological aspects; Radiation; Stem cells; Temperature; Terahertz Radiation; Transcriptome - radiation effects
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms252212059

As areas of application of terahertz (THz) radiation expand in science and practice, evidence is accumulating that this type of radiation can affect not only biological molecules directly, but also cellular processes as a whole. In this study, the transcriptome in cells of the thermophilic bacterium was analyzed immediately after THz irradiation (0.23 W/cm , 130 μm, 15 min) and at 10 min after its completion. THz irradiation does not affect the activity of heat shock protein genes and diminishes the activity of genes whose products are involved in peptidoglycan recycling, participate in redox reactions, and protect DNA and proteins from damage, including genes of chaperone protein ClpB and of DNA repair protein RadA, as well as genes of catalase and kinase McsB. Gene systems responsible for the homeostasis of transition metals (copper, iron, and zinc) proved to be the most sensitive to THz irradiation; downregulation of these systems increased significantly 10 min after the end of the irradiation. It was also hypothesized that some negative effects of THz radiation on metabolism in cells are related to disturbances in activities of gene systems controlled by metal-sensitive transcription factors.