BIOCHEMICAL BASIS OF REPRODUCTIVE DEATH IN IRRADIATED CELLS

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1963 · Am. J. Roentgenol., Radium Therapy Nucl. Med.

OSTI ID:4178189

Kaplan, H S

The roles of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) in reproductive death in irradiated cells are discussed. Data are reviewed from biochemical analysis, from studies utilizing the molecular biological approach to observe the incorporation of a series of analogs of natural purine and pyrimidine bases in nucleic acid, from studies on radioinduced changes in oxidative phosphorylation, from studies of radiation effects on enzyme activity, and from studies of radiation effects on DNA synthesis. It is concluded that the primary radiobiochemical lesion leading to uv-induced cell death of bacteria and bacteriophages occurs in DNA. It is pointed out that as biologic complexity increases there is a marked decrease in relative radiosensitivity and mammalian cells are much more resistant than would be predicted by extrapolation from microorganism data. It is suggested that repair mechanisms, presumably enzymatic in nature, may induce repair of radiation injuries and that only a small fraction of the lesions induced in DNA by radiation persist long enough to be expressed biologically. Such repair mechanisms may be more highly developed in the more complex cells of higher organisms and result in a decreased radiosensitivity. (65 references) (C.H.)

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, Calif.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-000057
• OSTI ID: 4178189
• Journal Information: Am. J. Roentgenol., Radium Therapy Nucl. Med., Journal Name: Am. J. Roentgenol., Radium Therapy Nucl. Med. Vol. Vol: 90
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ANIMAL CELLS
BACTERIA
BACTERIOPHAGES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIOCHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
CYTOLOGY
DNA
ENZYMES
HETEROCYCLICS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PURINES
PYRIMIDINES
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
RADIOSENSITIVITY
RECOVERY
RIBONUCLEIC ACID
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION