Madeline

TWiM#67
Major topics covered: temperature triggers Neisseria meningitidis immune evasion;
mice that are fed black mushrooms are protected from ionizing radiation
It has been theorized that the pigment melanin in darkly colored mushrooms
protects these organisms from the harmful effects of radiation and even allows them
to absorb it and process it for use as energy. This property was first noticed in the
aftermath of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where black fungi
were found growing in highly irradiated areas. Following this observation, studies
were conducted to show that melanin-containing mushrooms are radiotropic,
meaning they grow toward radiation, and that that they grow better and more
quickly under radioactive conditions (Dighton). However, this growth was not
observed in white or lightly pigmented mushrooms, which died under these
conditions. Growth did not occur in albino mutants of the same species that were
found in Chernobyl either, indicating that the melanin pigment was responsible for
their survival and thriving.
Structurally, melanin is an insoluble aromatic molecule. It takes up and
captures radiation in a way that is comparable to chlorophyll’s capture and storage
of light in plants. However, melanin scatters light. This molecule’s protective quality
concerning radiation has a number of possible applications from health benefits for
patients undergoing radiation treatments to the production of energy from
radioactive sources. Due to the newfound potential of this molecule, scientists have
started to run tests to benefit human health using mice as subjects. Their ultimate
goal is to protect the bone marrow and other vulnerable organs of patients who
need radiation therapy. In one experiment, melanin-covered nanoparticles were
injected directly into the bone marrow of mice, which were then irradiated by whole
body exposure with 0.125 Gy of radiation. The preventative melanin therapy
reduced toxicity in their blood. (Schweitzer). In another experiment, the mice were
fed one gram per kilogram of melanin-containing mushrooms and were then
irradiated by whole body exposure with 9 Gy of radiation. 80% of the mice that ate
the mushrooms lived, while all of the mice in the control group died of
gastrointestinal syndrome. In the mice that survived, white blood cell and platelet
counts returned to normal after forty-five days. Mice that were fed albino
mushrooms of the same species died at a rate comparable to the control group,
while mice that were fed naturally white mushrooms that had been supplemented
with melanin survived at a rate comparable to the mice that were given mushrooms
that naturally contain melanin. This experiment demonstrates the great potential of
melanin-containing mushrooms to be developed into a preventative treatment for
patients who are going to endure radiation therapy (Revskaya).
There were very few concerns raised about the consumption of melanin-
containing mushrooms in the podcast. The most notable was that one would have to
eat one gram of mushrooms per kilogram of body weight. In the podcast, one of the
speakers asserted that an 80 kg person would have to eat approximately three
pounds of mushrooms; however, these numbers do not seem to be correct because
one gram is equal to 0.0022 pounds, so this may simply be a miscalculation and not
an actual issue. Another possible concern is that the mushrooms only protect the
gastrointestinal tract, although melanin was successfully injected into the bone
marrow of mice as well.
This topic was particularly interesting to me because I am a big fan of
superhero comic books and therefore the effects of radiation have always been
interesting to me. I am also very concerned about protecting the environment, so I
was quite intrigued when one of the speakers suggested that these mushrooms
could absorb radiation and turn it into useable energy; I would have loved to hear
more about that aspect of their usefulness. I would have also liked to hear what the
after-effects of ingesting large quantities of melanin were on the mice used in the
studies. The speakers mentioned that melanin is not easily digested and sits in your
system for long periods of time, but they did not talk about whether this had any
adverse effects. I would like to see more unique organisms covered in depth in a
general microbiology course, especially organisms that are as interesting as
mushrooms that thrive in radioactive conditions. There are many wonderful and
exceptional microbes one can explore after building a firm foundation in the basics
of bacteriology and archaeal and eukaryotic studies.
The other topic discussed in the podcast was the thermal triggering of
Neisseria meningitidis’ invasive stage. N. meningitidis lives in many human beings as
a commensal of the respiratory tract. However, if it invades the bloodstream it
causes bacterial meningitis, a disease with a mortality rate of nearly seventy
percent. A recent study revealed that one of the triggers of this invasion might be
increased temperature due to fever, inflammation, or other immune responses.
These bacteria produce a special capsule as a protective measure against active
complements of the immune system, but the capsule can only be produced under
higher temperatures that disrupt the structure surrounding the ribosome binding
site at the beginning of the segment of DNA that codes for the capsule-producing
enzyme CSSA (Loh).
The most interesting of the email comments at the end of the show was a
description of a particular pathology that may arise in the guts of people who
consume too much sugar. In rare instances that have been documented in the USA
and Japan, sugars in people’s stomachs have fermented into alcohol causing them to
become drunk.

Sources:
1. Dighton, John. “Fungi and Ionizing Radiation from Radionuclides.” FEMS
Microbiology Letters (2008): 109-20. Web.
2. Loh, Edmund. “Temperature Triggers Immune Evasion by Neisseria
meningitidis.” Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science (2013): 237-40.
Web.
3. Revskaya, Ekaterina. “Compton Scattering by Internal Shields Based on
Melanin-Containing Mushrooms Provides Protection of Gastrointestinal
Tract from Ionizing Radiation.” Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals
27.9 (2012): 570-76. Web.
4. Schweitzer, Andrew. “Melanin-Covered Nanoparticles for Protection of Bone
Marrow During Radiation Therapy of Cancer.” International Journal of
Radiation (2010): 1494-502. Web.