Lethality and mutagenesis of B lymphocyte progenitor cells following exposure to alpha-particles and X-rays.
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.
Griffiths
S D
SD
Leukaemia Research Fund Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
Marsden
S J
SJ
Wright
E G
EG
Greaves
M F
MF
Goodhead
D T
DT
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
D011005:Plutonium; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase