Role of the adenylate energy charge in the response of Chinese hamster ovary cells to radiation.

ABSTRACT

Steady-state modification of the adenylate energy charge (EC; ATP + 1/2ADP/ATP + ADP + AMP) in aerobic Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was achieved with a combination of rotenone and 2-deoxy glucose (2dG). Neither agent significantly affected the EC by itself. All incubations were in Eagle's minimum essential medium containing 15% fetal bovine serum. The radiation response of these cells was not significantly affected by this treatment when cells were irradiated either one or three hours after addition of the drugs, and held in the presence of the inhibitors for one hour after irradiation. The ability of cells to repair radiation-induced single-strand breaks was studied by the alkaline elution method. Energy depleted cells repaired single-strand breaks at a slightly slower rate than the controls. However, thymidine incorporation was also inhibited, suggesting that repair may still have preceded events leading to the fixation of that damage (e.g., DNA replication).