Screening for deficits in DNA repair by the response of irradiated human lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1977 · Cancer Res.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5761621

Agarwal, S S; Brown, D Q; Katz, E J; Loeb, L A

An assay has been developed to measure the ability of human lymphocytes to repair damage to DNA. In this assay, purified human lymphocytes are exposed to graded doses of radiation and then stimulated with phytohemagglutinin to undergo DNA replication. The rate of incorporation of thymidine in irradiated lymphocytes during the second and subsequent rounds of DNA replication is taken to be indicative of the ability of the cells to repair damage to DNA. In lymphocytes from normal individuals, x-irradiation with doses of 100 to 800 rads was found to inhibit phytohemagglutinin-stimulated thymidine incorporation proportionally to the dose of radiation without curtailing the induction of DNA polymerase. The response to phytohemagglutinin of lymphocytes from a patient with xeroderma pigmentosum after exposure to graded doses of x-irradiation was found to be similar to that of the normal controls, whereas the response after ultraviolet irradiation was markedly impaired. In contrast, lymphocytes from patients with ataxia telangiectasia were hypersensitive to x-irradiation. The data on these clinical syndromes support the idea that this assay measures DNA repair and indicates the feasibility of using this method for screening individuals for genetic deficits in DNA repair.

• Research Organization: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
• OSTI ID: 5761621
• Journal Information: Cancer Res.; (United States), Vol. 37:10
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
DNA REPLICATION
BIOASSAY
PHYTOHEMAGGLUTININ
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
X RADIATION
BIOLOGICAL REPAIR
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DNA
LYMPHOCYTES
PATIENTS
POLYMERASES
RADIATION DOSES
TELANGIECTASIS
THYMIDINE
XERODERMA PIGMENTOSUM
AGGLUTININS
ANIMAL CELLS
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CARBOHYDRATES
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DISEASES
DOSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENZYMES
HEMAGGLUTININS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEUKOCYTES
MITOGENS
MUCOPROTEINS
NUCLEIC ACID REPLICATION
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RECOVERY
REPAIR
RIBOSIDES
SACCHARIDES
SKIN DISEASES
SOMATIC CELLS
550200* - Biochemistry
550600 - Medicine
560115 - Radiation Effects on Biochemicals- In Man- (-1987)