Skip to main content
Log in

Apoptosis induced by high- and low-LET radiations

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Radiation and Environmental Biophysics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cell death after irradiation occurs by apoptosis in certain cell populations in tissues. The phenomenon also occurs after high linear energy transfer (LET) irradiation, and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) is 3 to 4 (with respect to low-LET radiation and apoptosis in intestinal crypts) for neutrons with energies of 14 MeV and up to 600 MeV. It is thought thatp53 plays a role in the phenomenon, as radiation-induced apoptosis is not observed inp53-null animals.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Broglio TB, Worgul BV (1982) The lens epithelium and radiation cataract. IV. Ultrastructral features of interphase death in the meridional rows. Virchows Arch [B] 39:49–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Geng L, Potten CS (1990) Changes after irradiation in the number of mitotic cells and apoptotic fragments in growing hair follicles and in the width of their hairs. Radiat Res 123:75–81

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heinecke H (1903, 1904) Röntgenstrahlenwirkung auf Tiere. Münchener Med Wochenschr 48 and 31

  • Hendry JH, Potten CS (1982) Intestinal cell radiosensitivity: a comparison for cell death assayed by apoptosis or by a loss of clonogenicity. Int J Radiat Biol 42:621–628

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendry JH, Potten CS, Chadwick C, Bianchi M (1982) Cell death (apoptosis) in the mouse small intestine after low doses: effects of dose-rate, 14.7 MeV neutrons, and 600 MeV (maximum energy) neutrons. Int J Radiat Biol 42:611–620

    Google Scholar 

  • Ijiri K, Pottens CS (1983) Response of intestinal cells of differing topographical and hierarchical status to ten cytotoxic drugs and five sources of radiation. Br J Cancer 47:175–185

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lane DP (1992)p53, guardian of the genome. Nature 358:15–16

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merritt AJ, Potten CS, Kemp CJ, Hickman JA, Balmain A, Lane DP, Hall PA (1994) The role ofp53 in spontaneous and radiation induced apoptosis in the gastrointestinal tract of normal andp53-deficient mice. Cancer Res 54:614–617

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meyn RE, Stephens LC, Hendry JH (1994) Radiation-induced apoptosis; workshop report. Int J Radiat Biol 66:655–659

    Google Scholar 

  • Potten CS (1977) Extreme sensitivity of some intestinal crypt cells toχ andγirradiation. Nature 269:518–521

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Potten CS (1985) Cell death (apoptosis) in hair follicles and consequent changes in the width of hairs after irradiation of growing follicles. Int J Radiat Biol 48:349–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Potten CS, Li YQ, O'Connor PJ, Winton DJ (1992) Target cells for the cytotoxic effects of carcinogens in the mutine large bowel and a possible explanation for the differential cancer incidence in the intestine. Carcinogenesis 13:2305–2312

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Radford IR, Murphy TK, Radley JM, Ellis SL (1994) Radiation response of mouse lymphoid and myeloid cell lines. Part II. Apoptotic cell death is shown by all lines examined. In J Radiat Biol 65:217–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Reed JC (1994) Bcl-2 and the regulation of programmed cell death. J Cell Biol 124:1–6

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tao F, Medvedovsky C, David J, Broglio T, Powers-Risius P, Alper EL, Worgul BV (1993) Accelerated heavy ions and the lens. IX. Late effects of LET and dose on cellular parameters in the murine lens. Int J Radiat Biol 64:103–111

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tauchi H, Sawada S (1994) Analysis of mitotic cell death caused by radiation in mouse leukaemia L5178Y cells: apoptosis is the ultimate form of cell death following mitotic failure. Int J Radiat Biol 65:449–455

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (1993) Report to General Assembly, with scientific annexes, p 437

  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (1994) Cancer Bulletin 46 (2) pp 192

    Google Scholar 

  • Worgul BV, Merriam GR, Medvedovsky C (1989) Cortical cataract development - an expression of primary damage to the lens epithelium. Lens Eye Toxicity Res 6:559–571

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hendry, J.H., Potten, C.S. & Merritt, A. Apoptosis induced by high- and low-LET radiations. Radiat Environ Biophys 34, 59–62 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01210548

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01210548

Keywords

Navigation