Chromosome DNA as a Target of Resonant Interaction Between Escherichia Coli Cells and Low–Intensity Millimeter Waves

Abstract

The method of anomalous viscosity time dependence (AVTD) was used to study the influence of nonthermal microwaves on the genome conformational state (GCS) of Escherichia coli cells. 20-Gy X-rayed cells were exposed to circularly polarized microwaves at seven frequencies of the 51.62–51.84 GHz band in which linearly polarized electromagnetic radiation (EMR) resonantly inhibits repair of X-ray-induced changes in the GCS. At all the frequencies that were studied, right-handed-polarized microwaves effectively influenced the GCS of X-rayed cells, whereas left-handed polarization was virtually ineffective. And conversely, right-handed polarization was ineffective and the left-handed polarized EMR effectively influenced the GCS when intact cells were exposed to microwaves. The two resonance dependences of millimeter waves' effect on the GCS of E. coli cells (both preliminarily irradiated and unirradiated by X-rays) had the same resonance frequency of 51.76 GHz, and a half–width of the resonance of about 100 MHz.Relative efficiency of circularly polarized components of EMR at this resonance frequency was studied, depending on the dose of radiation applied to the cells. It was shown that the effects of left-and right-handed EMRs become the same at 50 cGy. This dose is too small to damage any cellular structures except DNA. It was estimated that the dose induces about one single-strand DNA break per genome of the bacterial cell. Seen from the standpoint of the previously suggested physical model, the results suggest that the target of resonant interaction between E. coli cells and millimeter waves appears to be chromosomal DNA.