title: Lethality and mutagenesis of B lymphocyte progenitor cells following exposure to alpha-particles and X-rays.
abstract: B lymphocyte precursor cells are the target cells for the major subtype of paediatric cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Using a murine IL-7-dependent clonogenic assay for normal B cell precursors as a model, we have investigated the sensitivity of these cells versus other normal and leukaemic haemopoietic cells to alpha-particle radiation. We find that B cell precursors are remarkably susceptible to the lethal effects of alpha-particles and have a very low probability of surviving a single alpha-track. B cell precursors are also very sensitive to the lethal effects of low LET X-rays. The mutation frequency in a marker gene (HPRT) does not, however, appear to be greater in B cell precursors that survive X-radiation than in other haemopoietic cells.
authors.affiliation: Leukaemia Research Fund Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Marsden
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Goodhead
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016923:Cell Death; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D004735:Energy Transfer; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016296:Mutagenesis / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009154:Mutation; D011005:Plutonium; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D011005:Plutonium; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase