Impact of Radiation and Chemical Exposure on Genome Activity, Function, Structure and Evolution

Dear Colleagues,

The technological advances of the last century have brought new levels and areas of exposure to humans in the form of synthetic chemicals and ionizing radiation. These have been shown to pose risks to human health, but have also provided new avenues of treatment for a plethora of diseases. Ionizing radiation is defined as any electromagnetic wave or particle that will produce a subatomic ionization event. It can take a variety of forms such as alpha, beta, and neutron particles, as well as gamma and X-rays. Ionizing radiation can inflict a wide spectrum of DNA damage resulting in mutations, translocations, deletions, and other genomic aberrations. For example, at the molecular level, the DNA lesions can lead to mutations in somatic cells, often resulting in cancer, making ionizing radiation a well-known and described carcinogen. From a different perspective, ionizing radiation can also be used in a targeted manner on rapidly dividing cells in solid tumors, thus providing radiotherapy treatments. Similarly, chemical exposure has been identified as a potential health risk. Both natural and synthetic chemicals, even at environmental levels, can act on a variety of biological processes including DNA methylation, histone activity, and gene expression. Moreover, the induced alterations can sometimes be associated with an increased risk of disease. Thus, a thorough understanding of the effects of radiation and chemical exposure on the genome biology would provide a major landmark for risk assessment and prevention.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the impact of radiation and chemical exposure at various levels on genome activity, function, structure, and evolution. We hope that the results presented here will provide valuable insight for the community of researchers investigating the effects of radiation and chemical exposure in various contexts ranging from fundamental exploration to impacts on environmental and medical domains. 

Cristina Sisu, PhD

Guest Editor

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• radiation
• genomics
• transcriptomics
• environment
• chemicals
• epigenetics
• DNA damage