Radiat Res：变形杆菌或成辐射暴露的新型生物标志物

近日，威斯康星医学院研究人员已经确定一种新型生物标志物可以用来确认人可能暴露于有害辐射的环境下，以便用来鉴别和治疗危及生命的辐射损伤。

该研究结果发表在5月1日的Radiation Research杂志上。威斯康星医学院的药理学和毒理学J ohn E. Baker博士是该研究论文的主要作者。

要确认辐射照射环境和估计吸收剂量以确认个人是否暴露在恐怖主义袭击、核电厂事故、放射性或核战争环境下，一个快速、准确、灵敏的诊断平台是迫切需要的。因为临床症状不能够提供足够的诊断信息来鉴别和治疗危及生命的辐射损伤。

在这项研究中，研究人员检查发现老鼠粪便中的微生物在暴露于辐射前后发生了变化。其中212个不同的细菌数量出现了变化，其中59个细菌在人身上也存在。在暴露于辐射环境下后，这些变化持续至少21天。在暴露于辐射环境下四天后，一种特定类型的微生物--变形杆菌的数量增加了将近一万倍。

研究人员表示：分析暴露于辐射环境下的这些患者的微生物情况将是一个非侵入性的诊断，这种方式能及时获得诊断结果。（生物谷：Bioon.com）

doi:10.1667/RR2691.1
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Intestinal Microbiota as Novel Biomarkers of Prior Radiation Exposure

Vy Lama, John E. Moulderb, Nita H. Salzmanc, Eric A. Dubinskyd, Gary L. Andersend, and John E. Bakera,f,g,

There is an urgent need for rapid, accurate, and sensitive diagnostic platforms to confirm exposure to radiation and estimate the dose absorbed by individuals subjected to acts of radiological terrorism, nuclear power plant accidents, or nuclear warfare. Clinical symptoms and physical dosimeters, even when available, do not provide adequate diagnostic information to triage and treat life-threatening radiation injuries. We hypothesized that intestinal microbiota act as novel biomarkers of prior radiation exposure. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 5/group) received single or multiple fraction total-body irradiation of 10.0 Gy and 18.0 Gy, respectively. Fresh fecal pellets were obtained from each rat prior to (day 0) and at days 4, 11, and 21 post-irradiation. Fecal microbiota composition was determined using microarray and quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) analyses. The radiation exposure biomarkers consisted of increased 16S rRNA levels of 12 members of the Bacteroidales, Lactobacillaceae, and Streptococcaceae after radiation exposure, unchanged levels of 98 Clostridiaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae, and decreased levels of 47 separate Clostridiaceae members; these biomarkers are present in human and rat feces. As a result of the ubiquity of these biomarkers, this biomarker technique is non-invasive; microbiota provide a sustained level of reporting signals that are increased several-fold following exposure to radiation, and intestinal microbiota that are unaffected by radiation serve as internal controls. We conclude that intestinal microbiota serve as novel biomarkers of prior radiation exposure, and may be able to complement conventional chromosome aberrational analysis to significantly enhance biological dose assessments.