MUTANT GENES MAY INFLUENCE RADIATION DAMAGE

["jenday1" <jenday1@EMAIL.MSN.COM>]

I received this on another list server, and thought I would pass it along.

I think that the article discusses was mentioned on this list server before,

but I would not like to be accused of hinding any knowledge of biological

radioresistance studies.



-- John



John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist

3050 Traymore Lane

Bowie, MD 20715-2024

jenday1@email.msn.com (H)



----- Original Message -----

From: "ArcaMax" <ezines@arcamax.com>

To: <jenday1@email.msn.com>

Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 12:00 PM

Subject: ArcaMax Science News for Monday 11/19/2001

. . .



  MUTANT GENES MAY INFLUENCE RADIATION DAMAGE

  A novel search of 3,760 "nonessential" yeast genes has revealed 107

new genes that may determine how we resist, or are hurt by, radiation.

The research was carried out at the National Institute of

Environmental Health Sciences and reported in the journal Nature

Genetics. "Most of the newly characterized mutant genes not only

protect against gamma radiation but provide resistance to other

damaging agents, such as ultraviolet light and the commonly used

anti-cancer drugs bleomycin and camptothecin," say Michael A. Resnick,

Ph.D. and Craig B. Bennett, Ph.D., in a joint statement. The research

was done using common bakers yeast, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae,

the living substance that makes bread dough rise. This yeast has been

a model system for much molecular genetic research for more than three

decades because its basic cellular mechanisms also exist in mammals.

The discovery demonstrates how important many of these genes that are

non-essential may be -- especially in regard to our susceptibility to

the environment radiation, cigarette smoke, solvents and other

chemicals, drugs and even certain foods, according to the researchers.

Non-essential genes are those which an organism can literally live

without, the organism or body can still grow if the gene is damaged or

even deleted. However, some can become essential when an environmental

stress like radiation comes along, says Bennett.

. . .

--

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

--





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