Jn. Lucas et al., STABILITY OF THE TRANSLOCATION FREQUENCY FOLLOWING WHOLE-BODY IRRADIATION MEASURED IN RHESUS-MONKEYS, International journal of radiation biology, 70(3), 1996, pp. 309-318
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging","Nuclear Sciences & Tecnology
Chromosome translocations are persistent indicators of prior exposure
to ionizing radiation and the development of 'chromosome painting' to
efficiently detect translocations has resulted in a powerful biologica
l dosimetry tool for radiation dose reconstruction. However, the actua
l stability of the translocation frequency with time after exposure mu
st be measured before it can be used reliably to obtain doses for indi
viduals exposed years or decades previously. Human chromosome painting
probes were used here to measure reciprocal translocation frequencies
in cells from two tissues of 8 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) irradi
ated almost three decades previously. Six of the monkeys were exposed
in 1965 to whole-body (fully penetrating) radiation and two were unexp
osed controls. The primates were irradiated as juveniles to single dos
es of 0.56, 1.13, 2.00, or 2.25 Gy. Blood lymphocytes (and skin fibrob
lasts from one individual) were obtained for cytogenetic analysis in 1
993, near the end of the animals' lifespans. Results show identical do
se-response relationships 28 y after exposure in vivo and immediately
after exposure in vitro. Because chromosome aberrations are induced wi
th identical frequencies in vivo and in vitro, these results demonstra
te that the translocation frequencies induced in 1965 have not changed
significantly during the almost three decades since exposure. Finally
, our emerging biodosimetry data for individual radiation workers are
now confirming the utility of reciprocal translocations measured by FI
SH in radiation dose reconstruction.