Mushroom radio stimulation

Radiotrophic fungi were first described in 1991 as part of black mold from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant ^{[2] [3]} .

The phenomenon of radio stimulation of mushrooms was discovered by a group of researchers from the New York College of Medicine named after Albert Einstein Yeshiva University under the direction of Ekaterina Dadachova in 2006 (published in May 2007) ^[1] . They showed that three fungi containing the melanin pigment - Cladosporium sphaerospermum , Wangiella dermatitidis, and Cryptococcus neoformans - increased biomass and accumulated acetate faster in an environment where the radiation level was 500 times higher than normal. Exposure of C. neoformans cells to radiation quickly, within 20–40 minutes, caused a change in the chemical properties of melanin and increased the electron transfer rate mediated by melanin (reduction of ferricyanide using NADH ) by 3-4 times compared with ordinary cells. It can be said that fungi converted the energy of gamma radiation into chemical energy ^[3] , which was further used for their growth. A similar effect on the electron transport ability of melanin was observed when exposed to non-ionizing radiation, so maybe fungi can use not only radiation but also light and heat for their growth ^[1] .

In general, melanin is found everywhere in wildlife. Melanized organisms often dominate in some extreme habitats, for example, in soils containing radionuclides . However, in the absence of radiation, some non-melanized fungi ( mutants along the melanin synthesis pathway) grow faster than melanized ones. This phenomenon is apparently explained by the fact that melanin molecules interfere with the passage of nutrients through the cell wall of the fungus and, in addition, toxic intermediates of melanin synthesis inhibit growth ^[1] . This is consistent with the idea that many fungi are able to synthesize melanin, but do not do it all the time, but only under the influence of external stimuli or at different stages of development ^[4] .

An open phenomenon can be used to protect healthy tissues from ionizing radiation during radiotherapy ^[5] . In addition, it is interesting for astrobiology as an indicator of the adaptability of life to the extreme conditions of existence ^{[6] [7]} .

• Radioresistance is the body's ability to withstand the negative effects of radiation.