title: Persistence of radiation-induced translocations in rat peripheral blood determined by chromosome painting.
abstract: In this article, we address the issue of persistence of chromosome exchanges following acute in vitro exposure of rat peripheral blood to 137Cs. Irradiation occurred 24 hr after culture initiation, and metaphase chromosomes were prepared 2, 3, 4, and 5 days later. Chromosomes 1, 2, and 4 were painted in unique colors and scored for structural aberrations. Dicentric chromosomes and acentric fragments diminished rapidly with time, as expected. Translocations exhibited greater persistence, but still showed a reduction in frequency, reaching a plateau of approximately 65 and 55% of their initial values, 4 days after exposure to 1 and 2 Gy, respectively. An exponentially declining model was fit to the combined dicentric, acentric fragment, and translocation frequencies, which showed that all three aberration types declined at equivalent rates. The frequencies of dicentrics and fragments declined to a plateau of zero, while translocations reached a plateau at frequencies significantly greater than zero. The decline in translocations with time is inconsistent with prevailing theoretical expectations, but is consistent with a model where some translocations are fully stable (persistent) and some are unstable (not persistent) through cell division. These results may have implications for radiation biodosimetry in humans.
authors.affiliation: Biology and Biotechnology Research Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551, USA. tucker5@llnl.gov
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Breneman
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Briner
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Eveleth
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D008940:Mitotic Index; D011336:Probability; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes