ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Aquatic Photosynthetic Organisms

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1605017

This article is part of the Research TopicHarnessing the Potential of Duckweed: Biological Insights and Ecological ApplicationsView all 4 articles

Chronic low dose 90 Sr contamination in Lemna minor: from transcriptional dynamics of epigenetic regulators to population level effects

Provisionally accepted
Luca  BoldriniLuca Boldrini1,2May  Van HeesMay Van Hees1Gustavo  Turqueto DuarteGustavo Turqueto Duarte1Robin  NautsRobin Nauts1Jean  WannijnJean Wannijn1Yelltrich  ReymenYelltrich Reymen1,3Brix  De RouckBrix De Rouck1,4Hilde  LootsHilde Loots1Matteo  SchiavinatoMatteo Schiavinato5Henriette  SelckHenriette Selck2Nele  HoremansNele Horemans1,3*
  • 1Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
  • 2Roskilde University, Roskilde, Zealand, Denmark
  • 3University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium
  • 4University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
  • 5Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The ecotoxicology model plant Lemna minor was exposed for 6 weeks to 90 Sr, simulating the dose rates present in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), in order to understand the effects of chronic low dose ionising radiation exposure. The data suggest that the plant may exhibit temporally variable acclimation responses that can be interpreted as early-, mid-, and long-term phases. Morphological changes included increased area and frond number, while molecular adjustments encompassed variations in pigment levels, glutathione metabolism, and expression modulation of telomerase-related and DNA methylation machinery genes. Physiological parameters and 90 Sr uptake remained relatively stable, yet fluctuations indicate a continuous adjustment to the chronic stress, suggesting L. minor's potential for phytoremediation. The interplay between transcriptional regulation of DNA methylation and the examined endpoints suggests a potential involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in L. minor's acclimation to chronic low dose-rate 90 Sr stress. This work provides knowledge on L. minor's abiotic stress responses and contributes to our understanding of plant adaptation to low-level ionising radiation (IR). The findings contribute to the development of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for L. minor exposed to IR, improving environmental risk assessment approaches.

Keywords: Ecotoxicology, Plants, Risk Assessment, chernobyl, Ionizing radiation, abiotic stress, epigenetics, longterm exposure

Received: 02 Apr 2025; Accepted: 04 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Boldrini, Van Hees, Turqueto Duarte, Nauts, Wannijn, Reymen, De Rouck, Loots, Schiavinato, Selck and Horemans. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Nele Horemans, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium

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