Tardigrades, also known as water bears, have long been known to possess remarkable resistance to radiation. However, recent research has shed new light on the secret to their resilience. Scientists have discovered that tardigrades excel at molecular repair, swiftly piecing together broken DNA strands.
In a study published in Current Biology, researchers exposed tardigrades to gamma rays that are hundreds of times more powerful than the radiation needed to kill a human. Despite this intense exposure, the water bears survived and continued to function normally. This discovery has sparked interest in understanding how tardigrades repair their DNA and whether these mechanisms could be applied to medical research in DNA repair.
Previous studies have shown that some tardigrade species can withstand radiation doses up to 1,400 times higher than what would be lethal to humans. Radiation poses a threat by breaking DNA chains, causing direct damage to DNA molecules, and affecting other molecules within cells. Scientists suspect that tardigrades may have mechanisms to prevent or repair this damage.
Recent research has uncovered new proteins in tardigrades that help them withstand DNA damage. One such protein, TRD1, was found to protect human cells from DNA damage when introduced into them. Further research into proteins like TRD1 could hold implications for treating diseases involving DNA damage, including cancer.
In addition to known repair mechanisms, scientists have also discovered that after exposure to radiation, tardigrades rapidly activate hundreds of genes that create new proteins. These proteins are used by other species, including humans, to repair damaged DNA. Tardigrades are able to produce repair cells in large quantities effectively restoring their DNA after damage.
Overall the study of tardigrades holds promise for advancing medical research in DNA repair by understanding how they repair their own DNA and whether these strategies can be applied on a larger scale for combating diseases caused by DNA damage
