Persistence of radiation-induced translocations in rat peripheral blood determined by chromosome painting

Journal Article · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-2280(1997)30:3<264::AID-EM4>3.0.CO;2-L· OSTI ID:576849

Tucker, J D; Briner, J F; Eveleth, G G ^[1]

---

1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); and others

In this article, we address the issue of persistence of chromosome exchanges following acute in vitro exposure of rat peripheral blood to {sup 137}Cs. Irradiation occurred 24 hr after culture initiation, and metaphase chromosomes were prepared 2, 3, 4, and 5 days later. Chromosomes 1, 2, and 4 were painted in unique colors and scored for structural aberrations. Dicentric chromosomes an acentric fragments diminished rapidly with time, as expected. Translocations exhibited greater persistence, but still showed a reduction in frequency, reaching a plateau of approximately 65 and 55% of their initial values, 4 days after exposure to 1 and 2 Gy, respectively. An exponentially declining model was fit to the combined dicentric, acentric fragment, and translocation frequencies, which showed that all three aberration types declined at equivalent rates. The frequencies of dicentrics and fragments declined to a plateau of zero, while translocations reached a plateau at frequencies significantly greater than zero. The decline in translocations with time is inconsistent with prevailing theoretical expectations, but is consistent with a model where some translocations are fully stable (persistent) and some are unstable (not persistent) through cell division. These results may have implications for radiation biodosimetry in humans.

• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 576849
• Journal Information: Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis, Journal Name: Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 30; ISSN EMMUEG; ISSN 0893-6692
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BLOOD
CHROMOSOMES
GENETIC RADIATION EFFECTS
RATS
TRANSLOCATION