Bystander effect formation in the sprout root meristem in condition of irradiated and non-irradiated seeds joint growing

Abstract

Aim. To study the possibility of bystander effect inducing in the joint germination in a common aqueous environment of irradiated and non-irradiated seeds. Methods. Cytogenetic methods including mitotic activity level estimation, accounting for the number of nucleoli, and methods for statistical analysis of the data. Results. The effect of radiation stimulation with a dose of 40 Gy was dependent on the variety, and the effect of gamma radiation at a dose of 200 Gy reduced the level of mitotic activity in comparison with the control in both varieties. Mitotic indices increase in the meristem of non-irradiated seeds while growing with irradiated one. Conclusions. The bystander effect is formed on the organismic level under condition of growing of irradiated and non-irradiated seeds in a common aquatic environment and it is ma-nifested as an increase in the level of meristem cells proliferation and in the intensification of synthetic processes. The addition of irradiated with a high dose of gamma radiation seeds to the non-irradiated seeds induces an increase in mitotic activity largely than the addition of seeds irradiated with a relatively small dose.
 Keywords: bystander effect, radiation stimulation, mitotic activity, nucleoli.