DNA damage as a biological sensor for environmental sunlight

Schuch, André Passaglia; García, Camila; Makita, Kazuo; Menck, Carlos Frederico Martins

doi:10.1039/c3pp00004d

Cited by 77 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Direct genomic damage is largely in the form cyclobutane formation, e.g. pyrimidine dimerization, caused by UV-B (~315–280 nm) (Schuch et al 2013). As such, the first photosensitive proteins to emerge in the prokaryotes were likely the photolyases, which utilize light energy in the blue/near-UV-A range to catalyze the repair of such adducts (Hitomi et al 2000).…”

Section: Visible Light As a Signal For Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time

2014

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Visible light is an important source of energy and information for much of life on this planet. Though fungi are neither photosynthetic nor capable of observing adjacent objects, it is estimated that the majority of fungal species display some form of light response, ranging from developmental decision making to metabolic reprogramming to pathogenesis. As such, advances in our understanding of fungal photobiology will likely reach the broad fields impacted by these organisms, including agriculture, industry and medicine. In this review, we will first describe the mechanisms by which fungi sense light and then discuss the selective advantages likely imparted by their ability to do so.

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Section: Visible Light As a Signal For Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time

2014

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“…These cellular effects are directly related to a chain of events that mainly involve the induction of DNA lesions by UV radiation. Therefore, sunlight is one of the main environmental genotoxic agents to which terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are exposed (Häder et al, 2011;Schuch et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and sensory mechanisms to mitigate sunlight-induced DNA damage in treefrog tadpoles

Schuch

Lipinski

Santos

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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The increased incidence of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation has been proposed as an environmental stressor, which may help to explain the enigmatic decline of amphibian populations worldwide. Despite growing knowledge regarding the UV-induced biological effects in several amphibian models, little is known about the efficacy of DNA repair pathways. In addition, little attention has been given to the interplay between these molecular mechanisms with other physiological strategies that avoid the damage induced by sunlight. Here, DNA lesions induced by environmental doses of solar UVB and UVA radiation were detected in genomic DNA samples of treefrog tadpoles (Hypsiboas pulchellus) and their DNA repair activity was evaluated. These data were complemented by monitoring the induction of apoptosis in blood cells and tadpole survival. Furthermore, the tadpoles' ability to perceive and escape from UV wavelengths was evaluated as an additional strategy of photoprotection. The results show that tadpoles are very sensitive to UVB light, which could be explained by the slow DNA repair rates for both cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine (6,4) pyrimidone photoproducts (6,4PPs). However, they were resistant to UVA, probably as a result of the activation of photolyases during UVA irradiation. Surprisingly, a sensory mechanism that triggers their escape from UVB and UVA light avoids the generation of DNA damage and helps to maintain the genomic integrity. This work demonstrates the genotoxic impact of both UVB and UVA radiation on tadpoles and emphasizes the importance of the interplay between molecular and sensory mechanisms to minimize the damage caused by sunlight.

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“…UV radiation is usually not monitored frequency by frequency, but most detectors measure the whole irradiance in the UV band and use filters to shield off visible light and to approximate the biological activity by frequency [17,18,19]. There are also biological detectors available that inherently capture some biological effects and therefore provide their own weighting function [20,21,22].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

UV “Indices”—What Do They Indicate?

Moshammer

Simic

Haluza

2016

IJERPH

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Ultra-Violet (UV) radiation covers the spectrum of wavelengths from 100 to 400 nm. The potency and biological activity for a variety of endpoints differ by wavelength. For monitoring and communication purposes, different UV action spectra have been developed. These spectra use different weighting functions. The action spectrum for erythemal dose is the most widely used one. This erythemal dose per time or dose-rate has been further simplified into a “UV index”. Following this example, in our review we use the term “index” or (plural) “indices” in a more general description for all simplified single-value measures for any biologically effective UV dose, e.g., for human non-melanoma skin cancer and for previtamin D production rate. Ongoing discussion about the existence of an increased melanoma risk due to UV-A exposure underscores the uncertainties inherent in current weighting functions. Thus, we performed an online literature search to review the data basis for these indices, to understand their relevance for an individual, and to assess the applicability of the indices for a range of exposure scenarios. Even for natural (solar) UV, the spectral composition varies spatially and temporally. Artificial UV sources and personal protection introduce further variation to the spectral composition. Many biological effects are proposed for UV radiation. Only few endpoints have been studied sufficiently to estimate a reliable index. Weighting functions for chronic effects and most importantly for cancer endpoints have been developed in animal models, and often for proxy endpoints only. Epidemiological studies on biological effects of UV radiation should not only depend on single-value weighted UV dose estimates (indexes) but should strive for a more detailed description of the individual exposure. A better understanding of the adverse and beneficial effects of UV radiation by wavelength would also improve medical counseling and health communication regarding individual health-supportive behavior.

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DNA damage as a biological sensor for environmental sunlight

Cited by 77 publications

References 85 publications

Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time

Fungal photobiology: visible light as a signal for stress, space and time

Molecular and sensory mechanisms to mitigate sunlight-induced DNA damage in treefrog tadpoles

UV “Indices”—What Do They Indicate?

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