γ Irradiation and cellular damage in Kocuria rosea: investigation by one- and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the radiation-induced effects on Kocuria rosea. Bacterial suspensions at the stationary phase were exposed to increasing doses of γ radiation. In the region 1350–840 cm −1, assigned to phosphodiester backbone, nucleic acids, and sugar rings, the radical damaging effects were dose-dependent, with the first threshold at 2.75 kGy and the second at 13.75 kGy inducing more striking spectral variations. Postirradiation reincubation did not significantly affect the biomolecular response, except in the spectral range 1100–1000 cm −1. These observations suggest the occurrence of new phylogenetic characteristics for K. rosea following irradiation. Moreover, two-dimensional analysis was used to highlight correlated evolutions of molecular species as radical aggression increased. The results point to an evolutionary scheme during the time course of irradiation. Thus, one- and two-dimensional IR analyses are convenient means of investigating the metabolic events following oxidative stress generated by either chemical or physical agents.