title: Radiation effects in Caenorhabditis elegans, mutagenesis by high and low LET ionizing radiation.
abstract: The nematode C. elegans was used to measure the effectiveness of high-energy ionized particles in the induction of 3 types of genetic lesions. Recessive lethal mutations in a 40-map unit autosomal region, sterility, and X-chromosome nondisjunction or damage were investigated. Induction rates were measured as a function of linear energy transfer, LET infinity, for 9 ions of atomic number 1-57 accelerated at the BEVALAC accelerator. Linear kinetics were observed for all 3 types of lesions within the dose/fluence ranges tested and varied strongly as a function of particle LET infinity. Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) values of up to 4.2 were measured and action cross sections were calculated and compared to mutagenic responses in other systems.
authors.affiliation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91109.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Benton
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Benton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004735:Energy Transfer; D005720:Gamma Rays; D005804:Genes, Lethal; D007246:Infertility / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D010315:Particle Accelerators; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014178:Translocation, Genetic