An investigation of LET 'finger-prints' in Tradescantia

Citation
Jrk. Savage et Dg. Papworth, An investigation of LET 'finger-prints' in Tradescantia, MUT RES-F M, 422(2), 1998, pp. 313-322
Citations number
54
Categorie Soggetti
Molecular Biology & Genetics
Journal title
MUTATION RESEARCH-FUNDAMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF MUTAGENESIS
ISSN journal
13861964 → ACNP
Volume
422
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Pages
313 - 322
Database
ISI
SICI code
1386-1964(199812)422:2<313:AIOL'I>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
Chromosome-type aberration scores, obtained in the Tradescantia microspore system following exposure to radiation, have been extracted from all signif icant papers since 1940, and augmented with unpublished results from this l aboratory. The data include aberrations produced by X-, gamma-rays and neut rons, and cover an enormous range of qualities, doses, dose-rates and ambie nt gas conditions. Two proposed LET 'finger-print' ratios were examined: Di centrics/Centric-rings (D/R or F-ratio) and Total deletions/Dicentrics + Ce ntric-rings. There was no significant effect of LET on either of these. Fur ther, D/R was independent of dose, whereas Deletions/D + R showed, as expec ted, a positive dose effect. In a very small subset of experiments, sizes o f interstitial deletions had been recorded, and a significant reduction in modal size was observed for neutrons compared to X-rays. Even if this obser vation is confirmed by future work, it will not provide a usable 'finger-pr int' for long-term studies since, being acentric, deletions are rapidly eli minated from a dividing cell population. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.