Induction of multilocus mutations at the Tk1 locus after X irradiation of L5178Y cells at different times in the mitotic cycle.

TK1+/- L5178Y-R16 cells were separated into G1, S and G2/M-phase populations by centrifugal elutriation and were treated with 1.5 Gy X radiation. Cells irradiated in the G1 and G2/M phases were most sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of radiation, while cells irradiated in the G2/M phase showed the highest mutant frequency at the thymidine kinase (Tk1) locus. DNA isolated from independent TK1-/- mutants was analyzed for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the Tk1 locus and two microsatellites, D11Mit48 and D11Nds7. Homogenates of each mutant were assayed for activity of galactokinase (GLK), the product of the galactokinase (Glk) gene neighboring the Tk1 gene on chromosome 11. Irradiated G1-phase cells had the highest percentage of mutants showing no LOH. The frequency of mutants with LOH at both Tk1 and D11Nds7 with no loss of GLK activity was high in all cell populations: There was no significant difference in the observed frequency of these mutants between the populations. The frequency of mutants losing GLK activity was low, particularly in cells irradiated in the S or G2/M phases. The possibility that the loss of GLK activity is not indicative of LOH at the Glk gene under the conditions of the present experiments is discussed.

Molecular analysis of hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase gene deletions induced by alpha- and X-radiation in human lymphoblastoid cells.

Mutations caused by exposure to X-radiation and to radon and its decay products were compared in the hprt gene of a human lymphoblastoid cell line. Thirty-one X-radiation-induced, 29 radon-induced, and 24 spontaneous mutants were recovered from cell cultures under identical conditions except for the exposure to radiation. Seven spontaneous point mutations were recovered and DNA sequenced. These mutations included three C:G-->T:A transitions. These spontaneous point mutations were located in the exon or splice donor regions of five of the nine hprt exons. Four X-radiation-induced and three radon-induced point mutations were also analyzed by DNA sequencing. The frequency of induced mutants at the D0 doses for radon and X-radiation respectively were 5 x 10(-6) and 4.5 x 10(-6). Deletions were the predominant mutations recovered from both radon- and X-irradiated cells. Eighty-one percent of the mutants from X-radiation-treated cultures, 86% of the radon-treated cultures, and 63% of the spontaneous mutants involved deletions. Deletions involving exon and intron DNA, as well as intron DNA alone, were found to inactivate the hprt gene and result in a selectable HPRT- phenotype. Among the deletion mutants, however, only 21% of the spontaneous mutants versus 55% of both the X-radiation- and radon-induced mutants exhibited loss of the entire hprt gene. More X-radiation-induced deletions than radon-induced deletions extended further than 800 bp in the telomeric direction from the hprt gene (six of 17 versus two of 17). The results show that at the human hprt locus of TK-6 cells the predominant kind of mutation indicative of exposure to both high LET alpha-radiation and low LET X-radiation is a large deletion, spanning the entire hemizygous hprt gene and extending into flanking sequences.

Interlaboratory comparison of the effects of radon on L5178Y cells: dose contribution of radon daughter association with cells.

The cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of radon and its progeny were compared in murine lymphoblast L5178Y-R16 cells after exposure at three institutions. The cells were exposed to 222Rn at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL) and to 212Bi, a decay product of 220Rn, at the University of Chicago (UC). The dose to the cell nucleus was calculated using a dosimetric model which addressed both the contribution of the dose from the radioactivity in the medium and that associated with the cells. The dose-response curves for cell survival showed D0's of 0.30 Gy at CWRU, 0.20 Gy at PNL, 0.37 Gy for chelated 212Bi, and 0.13 Gy for unchelated 212Bi. Induced mutant frequencies at the thymidine kinase locus at the 37% survival level were 1470 x 10(-6) at CWRU, 1518 at PNL, and 2414 x 10(-6) at UC using combined results for chelated and unchelated 212Bi. The variation between institutions was greater than obtained in a previous interlaboratory comparison of the effects of radon on CHO cells. Since less radioactivity was associated with CHO cells than L5178Y cells, we have concluded that the variation between institutions in the case of L5178Y cells is caused by the differences in cell-associated radioactivity and errors related to the measurement of this parameter.

Cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of radon and radon daughters on murine L5178Y lines differing in DNA repair.

The effects of 222Rn were measured in mouse L5178Y (LY) lymphoblasts that differ in repair capabilities. Line LY-S1 is deficient in the repair of X-radiation-induced DNA doublestrand breaks, while lines LY-R16 and LY-R83 are presumed to be deficient in the excision of UV-radiation-induced pyrimidine dimers. Line LY-R83 is hemizygous while the other two lines are heterozygous at the thymidine kinase (tk) locus. After exposure to radon the D0's were found to be very similar for the three lines (0.30-0.31 Gy), whereas for X radiation the D0 for line LY-S1 is lower (0.7 Gy) than that for the two LY-R lines (1.3 Gy). Mutant frequencies at the tk locus were higher per gray after treatment with radon than X radiation, but at equitoxic doses the mutant frequencies were similar for X and alpha-particle radiation. A low radon-induced mutant frequency was observed for the hemizygous line, in agreement with the hypothesis that multilocus lesions were induced by the alpha-particle radiation and that mutants bearing intergenic lesions were not recovered in the TK+/- line. The entire active tk allele was lost by 81% of the TK-/- mutants of line LY-R16. In lines LY-S1 and LY-R16, 39-43% of the TK-/- mutants exhibited loss of galactokinase activity, indicating that the mutational lesion inactivating the tk gene frequently extended to the neighboring galactokinase gene.

DNA double-strand break rejoining deficiency in TK6 and other human B-lymphoblast cell lines.

TK6, WI-L2, SB and three other B-lymphoblast lines were deficient in the rejoining of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by ionizing radiation. Cells of these cell lines rejoin less than 50% of the breaks in 60 min after exposure, as assayed by filter elution at pH 9.6. The deficiency in TK6 cells was confirmed using the comet assay. IN TK6 cells the percentage of DSB rejoining did not vary markedly with dose and was similar for G1, S, and G2 + M-phase cells. Two B-lymphocyte lines (Raji and GM0606), three T-lymphoblast lines (MOLT-4, Jurkat, and CCRF-HSB-2), HL-60 promyelocytes, and GM3440 human skin fibroblasts rejoined more than 50% of the DSBs in this period after exposure. Radiation sensitivity in terms of cell survival was measured in those cells forming colonies. Of the cell lines tested, those that were deficient in DSB rejoining were radiation-sensitive (TK6 and WI-L2: D0 = 0.64 Gy). However, not all lines that were proficient in DSB rejoining were radiation-resistant, since Jurkat and GM0606 cells were relatively radiation-sensitive (D0 = 0.63-0.73 Gy). TK6 and WI-L2 cells were more sensitive to bleomycin (D0 = 8-9 micrograms/ml) than were HL-60 and Raji cells (D0 = 40-54 micrograms/ml). No relationship of DSB rejoining to V(D)J recombinase activity was observed, since no mRNA hybridizing to the cDNA probes for RAG-1 or RAG-2 was detected in any of the cell lines tested.

A radon generator/delivery system.

A radon-generating system is described in which 222Rn, emanating from 226Ra stored in an aluminum containment vessel, may be pumped into a syringe for subsequent injection into a standard spinner flask containing tissue culture medium. The radium-containment vessel is sealed by an indium gasket and three metal bellows valves, one of which was used to fracture the glass capsule that contained 2.9 GBq of radium salt. A rotating piston pump transfers radon-enriched air from the radium-containment vessel to a delivery loop that includes a transfer syringe. The flow of air and radon through the loop is manipulated by three crossover ball valves, one of which may be set to fill the syringe. A charcoal trap is provided to collect residual radon left in the delivery loop after the transfer syringe has been filled. The protocol used to expose cells to radon and its progeny is described as well as the dosimetry that is used to estimate the dose delivered to the cells. A description of safety precautions taken in fabricating the generator and in conducting radiobiological studies is also presented.

Interlaboratory comparison of different alpha-particle and radon sources: cell survival and relative biological effectiveness.

Alpha radiation-induced cell killing was determined in four different laboratories in order to: 1) measure interlaboratory variability and 2) compare the effects of radon and radon daughter exposures with the effects of 238Pu (an often-used model for radon exposure). The results suggest that differences in handling from laboratory to laboratory can affect both low and high linear energy transfer responses and should be considered when comparing results from different laboratories.

In vitro exposure of mammalian cells to radon: dosimetric considerations.

We have developed a model to calculate the dose to the cell nucleus in cells exposed in suspension to radon and/or radon progeny. The model addresses the influence of (1) different radiation qualities and energies in the irradiation milieu; (2) the contribution to dose from radioactivity in the medium surrounding the cell after exposure to the radon gas as well as that from excess radon progeny associated with the cell; (3) the geometry of the cell and of the radiosensitive target, the cell nucleus; (4) the intracellular localization of the radionuclides; (5) attenuation of the alpha particles by the cytoplasm; (6) the radionuclide concentrations in the medium; and (7) the length of exposure. Investigation of the influence of these various parameters was made using an irradiation system in which cells were exposed to 212Bi, which decays to stability with the emission of an alpha particle (either 6.05 or 8.78 MeV). The information from these studies was then used to develop the system further for more complex systems in which 222Rn and its progeny are present. The model takes into account the contribution of dose from different radiation sources using scintillation counts of the medium and the cells, and it is useful for calculations of dose in situations where cells are exposed in suspension culture.

Mutagenicity of 2-amino-N6-hydroxyadenine at the tk locus in L5178Y strains differing in repair capabilities and karyotype.

The cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of 2-amino-N6-hydroxyadenine (AHA) were measured in strains of L5178Y differing in repair capabilities and karyotype. Strain LY-R83 is monosomic for chromosome 11 and is therefore hemizygous for the tk gene, while strains LY-R16 and LY-S1 are TK+/- heterozygotes. Both strain LY-R83 and LY-R16 are sensitive to UV light and are presumed to be deficient in the excision of pyrimidine dimers as shown for the parental strain, LY-R (Hagen et al., 1988; Szumiel et al., 1988). Strain LY-S1 is sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation and is presumed to be defective in the repair of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks, as shown for the parental strain, LY-S (Evans et al., 1987a; Wlodek and Hittelman, 1987). The sensitivities of the three strains to the cytotoxic effects of AHA were similar. After a 4-hour treatment with AHA at 37 degrees C, the D37 for all three strains was approximately 35 ng/ml. The AHA-induced mutant frequency was similar for the hemizygous TK+ strain LY-R83 and the heterozygous TK +/- strain LY-R16, but was slightly higher for strain LY-S1 than for either LY-R strain at an AHA concentration of 100 ng/ml. The proportion of AHA-induced LY-S1 TK -/- mutants forming colonies with diameters less than 0.3 mm was much lower than following treatment with X radiation (24% vs. 61% for AHA and X radiation, respectively). These results indicate that the vast majority of AHA-induced TK -/- mutants harbor single gene mutations. AHA did not result in cyanide-insensitive oxygen uptake, and treatment with this compound did not induce a significant number of DNA single-strand breaks, DNA alkali labile lesions, or DNA degradation in either strain. However, two hours after AHA removal, DNA single-strand breaks and/or alkali-labile lesions, possibly due to the occurrence of DNA repair, were apparent in the DNA of both strain LY-R16 and strain LY-S1.

The effect of dose rate on X-radiation-induced mutant frequency and the nature of DNA lesions in mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells.

The induction of mutants at the heterozygous tk locus by X radiation was found to be dose-rate dependent in L5178Y-R16 (LY-R16) cells, but very little dose-rate dependence was observed in the case of strain L5178Y-S1 (LY-S1), which is deficient in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Induction of mutants by X radiation at the hemizygous hprt locus was dose-rate independent for both strains. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that the majority of X-radiation-induced TK-/- mutants harbor multilocus deletions caused by the interaction of damaged DNA sites. Repair of DNA lesions during low-dose-rate X irradiation would be expected to reduce the probability of lesion interaction. The results suggest that in contrast to the TK-/- mutants, the majority of mutations at the hprt locus in these strains of L5178Y cells are caused by single lesions subject to dose-rate-independent repair. The vast majority of the TK-/- mutants of strain LY-R16 showed loss of the entire active tk allele, whether the mutants arose spontaneously or were induced by high-dose-rate or low-dose-rate X irradiation. The proportion of TK-/- mutants with multilocus deletions (in which the products of both the tk gene and the closely linked gk gene were inactivated) was higher in the repair-deficient strain LY-S1 than in strain LY-R16. However, even though the mutant frequency decreased with dose rate, the proportion of mutants showing inactivation of both the tk and gk genes increased with a decrease in dose rate. The reason for these apparently conflicting results concerning the effect of DNA repair on the induction of extended lesions is under investigation.

Relationship between topoisomerase II and radiosensitivity in mouse L5178Y lymphoma strains.

The cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of topoisomerase II inhibitors were measured in closely related strains of mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells differing in their sensitivity to ionizing radiation. Strain LY-S is sensitive to ionizing radiation relative to strain LY-R and is deficient in the rejoining of DNA double-strand breaks induced by this agent, whereas 2 radiation-resistant variants of strain LY-S have regained the ability to rejoin these double-strand breaks. We have found that the sensitivity of these cells to m-AMSA, VP-16, and ellipticine is correlated to their sensitivity to ionizing radiation. However, this correlation did not extend to their sensitivities to novobiocin, camptothecin, hydrogen peroxide, methyl nitrosourea and UV radiation. Thus, there appears to be a unique correlation between sensitivity to ionizing radiation and to topoisomerase II inhibitors which stabilize the cleavable complex between the enzyme and DNA. It is possible either that (1) topoisomerase II is altered in strain LY-S and that this enzyme is involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks or (2) strain LY-S is deficient in a reaction which is necessary for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks induced by ionizing radiation as well as the repair of DNA damage induced by these topoisomerase II inhibitors. m-AMSA, VP-16, and ellipticine were found to be highly mutagenic at the tk locus in L5178Y strains which are heterozygous for the tk gene but not in a tk hemizygous strain, indicating that these inhibitors induce multilocus lesions in DNA, as does ionizing radiation. The differences in the sensitivity of strains LY-R and LY-S to the topoisomerase II inhibitors were paralleled by differences in the induction of protein-associated DNA double-strand breaks in the 2 strains. This correlation did not extend to the radiation-resistant variants of strain LY-S, however. The variants showed resistance to the cytotoxic effects of the inhibitors relative to strain LY-S, but exhibited DNA double-strand break induction similar to that observed in strain LY-S.

Locus specificity in the mutability of L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells: the role of multilocus lesions.

Mouse L5178Y strain LY-S and its parental strain LY-R differ in their comparative sensitivities to the cytotoxic effects of various mutagenic agents--i.e., strain LY-S has been found to be more sensitive, less sensitive, or similarly sensitive to individual agents in comparison to strain LY-R. Nevertheless, strain LY-S has been found to be uniformly less mutable than strain LY-R at the hypoxanthine (guanine) phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) locus following treatment with x-radiation, UV radiation, or alkylating agents. In the present work we have isolated subclones of strains LY-R and LY-S that are heterozygous at the thymidine kinase (Tk) locus (chromosome 11). We have found that a heterozygous LY-S Tk+/Tk- strain shows as high or higher mutability at the Tk locus than do heterozygous LY-R strains following treatment with x-radiation, UV radiation, or ethyl methanesulfonate. Mutability of all heterozygous strains at the Tk locus is much higher than at the Hprt locus following treatment with these mutagenic agents, with the exception of one heterozygous LY-R strain that possesses only one chromosome 11 and that is poorly mutable at the Tk locus by x-radiation. On the basis of these results, we have suggested that because of a repair deficiency, multilocus lesions are formed in the DNA of LY-S strains following treatment with radiation or alkylating agents; multilocus lesions lead to poor recovery of viable mutants when the target locus is closely linked to essential genes and situated on a hemizygous chromosomal region (e.g., the Hprt locus on the X chromosome or the Tk locus in strains monosomic for chromosome 11); and x-radiation is a relatively poor mutagen at loci situated on hemizygous chromosomal regions, in repair-efficient and repair-deficient cells, because of its tendency to form multilocus lesions.

Effects of low dose rate (0.003-0.025 Gy/h) chronic X-irradiation on radioresistant and radiosensitive L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells.

Cultures of radioresistant (LY-R) and radiosensitive (LY-S) strains of L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells were exposed continuously to X-rays delivered at dose rates ranging from 0.003 to 0.025 Gy/h for up to 35 days. Populations of both strains proliferated actively during the exposure, but the growth rates were reduced in a dose rate-dependent manner. The reduction of growth rate occurred for strain LY-S earlier during the exposure and at lower dose rates than for strain LY-R. The survival (as measured by colony forming ability) of strain LY-R was affected only slightly at all dose rates applied. For strain LY-S, a decrease in the surviving fraction was observed in the initial part of the exposure. This decrease was followed by a plateau and eventually by an increase, in some cases to values close to the control level. The increase in the surviving fraction indicated that the radioresistance of the exposed LY-S cells had increased. This pattern was particularly clear for dose rates greater than 0.014 Gy/h. The pre-irradiated cells exhibited radioresistance when exposed to acute X-radiation after termination of the chronic exposure. The increase in radiation resistance was stable for at least 70 days after termination of the protracted exposure. These results show that mutagenic and/or selective phenomena leading to an increase in radiation resistance of mammalian cells can be caused by protracted exposures to X-rays at dose rates permitting active proliferation.

The influence of dose rate on the lethal and mutagenic effects of X-rays in proliferating L5178Y cells differing in radiation sensitivity.

The lethal and mutagenic effects of ionizing radiation delivered at high (53 Gy/h) and low (0.02 Gy/h) dose rates were measured in two closely related strains of mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells differing in radiation sensitivity (LY-R and LY-S). Strain LY-R was more resistant to the lethal effects of radiation than strain LY-S when exposed at either the high or low dose rate. The survival of strain LY-R was markedly enhanced by the reduction in dose rate. The dose-rate dependence of the survival of strain LY-S was less clear, because of the biphasic nature of its survival curve following low dose-rate radiation. However, if the initial slope of the low dose-rate survival curve is compared to the slope of the high dose-rate survival curve for strain LY-S, only a slight increase in survival at the low dose rate is apparent. Although more sensitive to the lethal effects of radiation, strain LY-S was less mutable at the hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyl transferase locus by both low dose-rate and high dose-rate radiation than strain LY-R. Little dose-rate dependence was exhibited by either strain with regard to the mutagenic effects of radiation. Thus, for strain LY-R, which showed marked dose-rate dependence for survival but not for mutation, the ratio of mutational to lethal lesions was much greater following exposure to low dose-rate than to high dose-rate radiation.

A study of the peroxidation of fatty acid micelles promoted by ionizing radiation, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate.

the kinetics of peroxidation of fatty acid micelles promoted by ionizing radiation, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate were compared. At the dose-rate range of ionizing radiation studied, the higher the dose-rate, the greater the total dose required to produce the same effect. With ascorbate, the rate of lipid peroxidation was dependent on the concentration of the promoter only up to 1 X 10(-4) M, beyond which a decreasing rate of peroxidation induction was observed. Higher concentration of ascorbate also suppressed the promoting effect of ionizing radiation. Formate, a hydroxyl radical scavenger, inhibited the peroxidation process promoted by these three agents. Caesium was found to be slightly inhibitory. EDTA and deoxycholate were also inhibitory, which may be attributed to iron-chelating and micelle-disrupting capacity, respectively. Addition of iron (Fe2+ or Fe3+) to EDTA-chelated fatty acid micelles re-initiated the peroxidation process. The ease of fatty acid oxidation at pH 7.5 was arochidonic (20:4) greater than linolenic (18:3) greater than linoleic (18:2). This order was reversed at pH 11.5. Similarities in the kinetics of peroxidation obtained suggest that certain biological sequelae encountered in cells treated with these seemingly dissimilar agents might arise through some common mechanism(s).