# Mechanisms of radiation tolerance in Caenorhabditis from Chernobyl

> **NIH NIH R21** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $235,410

## Abstract

Many of the technological advances that increase our quality of living also increase our exposure to ionizing
radiation, i.e. during medical diagnosis and treatment, nuclear weapons testing, power plant accidents, and air
and space travel. Anthropogenic activity has nearly doubled the average background radiation (not including
use in cancer therapy), while levels in some regions reach many orders of magnitude higher. Meanwhile, the
effects of chronic exposure are poorly understood, including the levels at which nuclear contamination creates
selective pressure on the ecosystem, and the unique pathological challenges of constant exposure. Microfauna
from highly radioactive areas can help us understand these challenges, and suggest biomolecular remedies.
The exploratory project we propose addresses the following three questions: (1) At what threshold does
background radiation alter animal mutation rate? (2) Does a population's radiation tolerance depend on (a)
avoidance of DNA damage, (b) optimization of DNA repair, or (c) increased fecundity and dispersal? And (3)
which elements of DNA repair pathways are naturally variable, and what are the genetic and cellular signatures
of the variants? To investigate these questions, we will travel to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine and
collect nematodes from areas with varying levels of contamination. Diverse genetic backgrounds and multiple
decades of continuous exposure have likely enriched this region for organisms with high radiation tolerance.
To identify how background radiation corresponds to mutational load, we will sequence the genomes of
nematodes and microbes collected from each site, and evaluate local genetic divergence. To uncover the
strategies used by animals that are successful in the presence of radiation, we will identify nematode strains
that are genetically similar but diverge greatly in their sensitivity to multi-generational radiation exposure in the
lab. By challenging these strains with radiation and comparing quantities of DNA breaks at various timepoints,
we will determine whether the strains differ by protecting against, repairing, or coping with DNA breaks.
Risk of human disease due to toxin exposure is often influenced by genetic predisposition. To investigate how
heritable variations affect DNA damage repair and mutation rate, we will cross genetically similar sensitive and
tolerant strains, and create a panel of recombinant inbred advanced intercross lines (RIAILS). By assaying
these RIAILs' responses to DNA damage, we will elucidate which steps of the DNA repair pathways are
variable, identify the genetic and cellular signatures of the variants, and measure how these variants optimize
mutation rate in a radioactive environment.
The work proposed here will utilize a historic environmental disaster and a genetically tractable organism to
establish a model system for studying many facets of animal response to chronic radiation exposure. This
model system will fuel researc...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9877186
- **Project number:** 1R21ES031364-01
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew Rockman
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $235,410
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-12 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9877186

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9877186, Mechanisms of radiation tolerance in Caenorhabditis from Chernobyl (1R21ES031364-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9877186. Licensed CC0.

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