By love-89.com Recently, a team of Chinese scientists made significant strides in the study of tardigrades, leveraging multi-omics and radiation resistance mechanisms. Researchers from the Military Medical Research Institute of the Academy of Military Sciences, led by Zhang Lingqiang and Yang Dong, collaborated with other domestic teams, including Wang Lizhi from Shaanxi Preschool Normal University, to reach these breakthroughs after more than six years of dedicated research. They successfully established a laboratory cultivation system for the Henan high-dry tardigrade, created a high-quality genomic map, and explored the dynamic changes in transcriptional and proteomic responses to radiation, ultimately revealing the core mechanisms behind extreme radiation tolerance.
Dr. Li Lei, the lead author of the paper, explained, “Tardigrades, known colloquially as water bears, are tiny aquatic invertebrates that typically measure less than one millimeter in length. They are found all over the world and can withstand extreme environments, including intense radiation, high temperatures, high pressures, very low temperatures, and desiccation. Their unique ability to desiccate and survive extreme conditions resembles the fictional ‘Trisolarans’ from sci-fi literature, making them immensely valuable for scientific research and biomedical applications.” Given that tardigrades are a relatively understudied species, using a multi-omics strategy to investigate their mechanisms of extreme environmental tolerance offers a promising opportunity.
In 2018, the research team collected samples of tardigrades from the Henan region and subsequently established the first domestic laboratory cultivation system for these organisms, providing essential resources for further exploring their radiation resistance mechanisms.
Yang Dong, the deputy researcher, elaborated, “We analyzed 2,801 radiation-associated genes derived from omics data. By integrating molecular evolution and functional characteristic analyses, we categorized the radiation resistance mechanisms of the Henan high-dry tardigrade into three main types: first, the acquisition of foreign genes from bacteria, fungi, and plants that provide unique resilience, such as synthesizing carotenoids to eliminate reactive oxygen species; second, the tendency for tardigrade-specific proteins to be highly disordered, which facilitates DNA damage repair through phase separation; and third, ancient proteins common to other taxa exhibit unique radiation response patterns within tardigrades.”
What particularly excites Zhang Lingqiang and his team is their discovery that molecules responsible for radiation resistance in tardigrades, when transferred into human cells, significantly enhance the latter’s resistance to radiation. This finding holds promising implications for developing protective measures against intense radiation damage, laying a theoretical foundation for the creation of a “protective shield.” On October 25, the research was published online in the prestigious scientific journal “Science.”
As various nuclear environments face severe threats from extreme radiation, current radiation protection strategies lack effective solutions. There is an urgent need for disruptive breakthroughs in conceptual innovation, theoretical advancements, and protective technology innovations. According to He Fuchu, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the National Key Laboratory of Medical Proteomics, research into the resistance mechanisms of tardigrades—remarkable extremophiles—could fundamentally change our understanding of the basic principles and operating mechanisms of life systems.