title: The genotoxicity of alpha particles in human embryonic skin fibroblasts.
abstract: Cell inactivation and induced mutation frequencies at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGPRT) locus have been measured in cultured human fibroblasts (GM10) exposed to alpha particles from 238Pu (LET at the cell surface was 100 keV/microns) and 250 kVp X rays. The survival curves resulting from exposure to alpha particles are exponential. The mean lethal dose, D0, is approximately 1.3 Gy for X rays and 0.25 Gy for alpha particles. As a function of radiation dose, mutation induction at the HGPRT locus was linear for alpha particles whereas the X-ray-induced mutation data were better fitted by a quadratic function. When mutation frequencies were plotted against the log of survival, mutation frequency at a given survival level was greater in cells exposed to alpha particles than to X rays.
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D009154:Mutation; D011005:Plutonium; D011831:Radiation Genetics; D012867:Skin / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D011005:Plutonium; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase